Sand Lotus
by Yachiru-Chan2008
Summary: Namichi Hasu has a Kekkei Genkai. Hated by her village, abandoned by her family, Hasu quits her life as a Jounin and flees to Konoha, despite having no wish to stay there for long. Will she ever find a place to be accepted? M for language/violence, OCxGaa
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone After months and months of writing different Naruto fanfictions, I finally decided to post one of them. I'm hesitant to finish them all because the manga isn't, and I want to follow the storyline... But, I decided that I'll post this one story and follow the manga as long as I can until I get too fast for it ~.^ When that happens, I'll probably end up starting my own story line, taking off where I get ahead of the manga. Just let me know what you think of the story, any idea's you have, or any ways to make it better. I love to hear everyone's ideas, and would also love to follow some of them, so feel free to post any. Thanks!**

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. I only own Hasu and Akashia, and some of the plot. Everything else goes to our lovely Kishimoto, who is amazing for drawing and writing Naruto.

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* * *

__"You can't leave without my permission." A feminine voice said to a pre-teen with short crimson hair and dark purple eyes. The girl let out a sigh of irritation, rubbing the back of her neck with her fingerless, black gloved hands. She turned around, her face showing her annoyance._

_"Why not let me?" The girl asked with a scowl._

_"You know why, Hasu." The woman sighed, obviously not wanting to argue with the girl._

_"I refuse to be punished for my blood any longer. I am my own person, my blood is my own... And you hold no authority over anyone who isn't a shinobi." The girl, Hasu, said with a pointed look._

_"Have you really gone insane? You are a shinobi, Hasu." The woman said pointedly._

_"Not anymore." Hasu said, tearing her Kirigakure hitai-ate from her bicep and slamming it onto the desk before turning around and walking towards the door. _

_"Namichi Hasu! If you walk through those gates, you'll never be able to come near them again!" The woman called after Hasu, standing up with her hands on the desk. Hasu sighed tiredly, looking over her shoulder at the woman._

_"Are you blind, Mizukage-sama? I have no wish to ever see this place again." Hasu said icily before walking out of the room. Hasu looked to the side of the hallway, frowning as she walked. "Come on, Akashia..." She said to a pure white ninja wolf with ice blue eyes. The wolf gave a short nod before following her master._

I opened my deep purple eyes, sighing. "It's so cold..." I whined tiredly. My short crimson hair was tied up in a high ponytail, stray locks framing my face. I was wearing a full-body fishnet suit under my short, crimson kimono that reached my mid thighs. I had black shinobi sandals, and black fingerless gloves with plates on the top. Around my waist was a long black jacket, folded and tied around my waist to look like a regular obi.

"I smell people... Alot of them." The wolf beside me said, though it would sound like a bunch of barks to anyone else. The wolf, Akashia, had ice blue eyes and was pure white except for two markings. Her tail tip was pure black, and she had three claw mark scars on her muzzle from a battle a long time ago.

"How close?" I asked curiously as Akashia sniffed the ground.

"Not far... Many people have passed through here recently." Akashia said calmly, and I nodded.

"Hm... To approach or not?" I mused aloud.

"This is the wind country... It's unlikely we would be welcomed." Akashia pointed out, and I shrugged.

"It's not like we belong to any country anymore, Akashia. How are they to know we used to be from Kirigakure?" I pointed out with a smile. "Besides, we'll go in, get food and shelter for a bit, then leave. Just like we've been doing... Oh well, at least it isn't as cold as Kiri..." I shrugged, and Akashia grunted her agreement.

"And if they decide to fight us? Your skills are based purely for attack..." Akashia sighed.

"Which is why you're here to defend me." I said teasingly before growing serious. "Don't worry. I don't want to pick a fight. If they do, we'll just leave." I sighed, rolling my shoulder. I let out a groan of irritation as I spotted traitorous white flakes floating from the cloudy sky. "Damn it all!" I shouted, pointing accusingly at the sky.

"...Can I help you?" A lazy voice said, and I looked over my shoulder to see a male with black hair in a spiked ponytail, a Konohagakure hitai-ate around his upper left arm. I let out an irritated sigh.

"Great. I'm near Konohagakure, aren't I?" I grumbled, and the man nodded with a frown, seeming to be on his guard. "Oh stop being paranoid... Akashia won't hurt ya." I said with a smile, crouching down and setting a hand on the white wolf, who sat down. The male was eyeing my carefully. "My name's Hasu."

"...Hasu and Akashia? Interesting names... I'm Shikamaru, a Genin from Konohagakure, which you are approaching." He said pointedly, and I nodded.

"Oh... Well, I'm just a strange person from another country innocently wandering lost around the Land of Fire... I don't suppose you could give me directions to the nearest stranger-friendly town so I can be on my way?" I said calmly, and Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"Where are you from, and why are you in the Land of Fire?" Shikamaru asked seriously but lazily, and I sighed again.

"I'm from the Land of Water, and I'm here because I'm _lost._ Didn't you hear me the first time?" I grumbled. "Sheesh... Would you like me to tell you my life story now?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, I'll let you tell that to the Hokage." Shikamaru said, motioning for me to turn around. I rolled my eyes at him, putting my hands on my hips as I stood from my crouch. Akashia let out a low growl, but I swatted her muzzle lightly.

"Stop that, Akashia... Didn't you hear me the first time? I already said I don't want to pick a fight... And if I just leave, then I'll be chased, and that'd just be no fun at all... I guess we'll just cooperate... Oh, would you like me to remove my weapons?" I offered Shikamaru, who nodded with a frown. I shrugged boredly and pulled my hip pouch, thigh pouch, and the hidden kunai in my sleeves away from me, dropping them on the ground.

"All right... Come with me." Shikamaru said, and I nodded.

"Oh, what about Akashia?" I asked, and Shikamaru glanced at me.

"She's coming too." He said simply, and I nodded again. I followed him as he led me through the tall trees, Akashia running alongside me.

* * *

"...That's it?" Hiruzen stated questioningly from behind the desk he sat at. I was standing on the other side, my hands folded calmly behind my back as Akashia lazily laid beside me.

"Yup."

"...You quit being a shinobi, and abandoned your village to avoid persecution, came to the Land of Fire, got lost, and wandered too close to Konoha... That's it?" Hiruzen asked again, frowning.

"Yup." I replied.

"...Do you intend to leave without causing any problems?" Hiruzen questioned.

"Sure. Though I'd really like it if you could point me in the direction of the closest village that I could get a place to eat and sleep in..." I said with a shrug.

"You no longer hold any ties to Kirigakure... You are welcome to be here in Konoha, however if you wish to roam freely about the Land of Fire, you'll need to go through a process and get the Daimyo to approve citizenship." Hiruzen said calmly, and I sighed, looking down at Akashia.

"Akashia... What do you think?" I asked her, and the white wolf raised her head, her ice blue eyes meeting my deep purple ones.

"I miss being in a village and doing missions..." Akashia said quietly, though it would have only sounded like barking to Hiruzen. I looked at the wolf sadly, rubbing the back of my neck before sighing. I crossed my arms over my chest, looking up at Hiruzen.

"I would be honored to be allowed to stay in Konoha... However, I don't suppose I'd be allowed to become a shinobi here, would I?" I asked with a wry smile.

"No... Not until you are willing to allow your mind to be searched by one of our best. To ensure you have told me the truth and are trustworthy." Hiruzen said, and I frowned.

"Would the information discovered be kept between me, you, and the interrogator alone?" I inquired, and Hiruzen frowned before nodding. "I'll let you know my decision in a weeks time... you may want to keep my past to yourself, unless you want me to be hated around here... People are so untrustworthy around random and mysterious strangers. I haven't a clue why." I said nonchalantly, and Hiruzen nodded.

"Keep in mind we will have ANBU watching your every move for some time." Hiruzen said seriously, and I nodded.

"Gotcha... I saved up a fair share of Ryô doing missions, so I'll be fine in that regard for a few months..." _More like years._ I added mentally. Akashia stood up, shaking herself as she did. On all fours, Akashia's head reached my upper chest, a bit higher then my elbows. "Oh, I don't suppose you know where I can buy chromium, nickel, copper oxide, and manganese?" I asked curiously, and Hiruzen looked at me strangely. "For glass making." I explained, and she frowned.

"There should be plenty of places in the store district... Don't leave the village without being told, or without someone accompanying you. You will be followed by ANBU constantly, and if you attempt to leave the village without permission, you will be stopped." Hiruzen said seriously, and I nodded.

"You're a nice guy, Hokage-sama. Honest. Any other Kage would have chased me off... after trying to kill me." I said with a smile, bowing to him. "Thank you for your generosity." I said seriously before straightening up. He nodded, waving me away lightly with a small smile. Briefly, I wondered if the only reason he was letting me stay was because he felt bad for me. _Either way, I'm grateful._


	2. Chapter 1

**Here's chapter one. Please remember, I do not own Naruto nor the plot. I own Akashia and Hasu, that's it.**

* * *

I walked away from the inauguration of Tsunade as the Godaime. I was sad to see that Hiruzen was gone, as I owed him for letting me join the village so many months ago. I was made an official shinobi of Konoha only a month after I'd come to Konoha, after having my mind searched a number of times by Inoichi, being stalked everywhere and anywhere by ANBU for the entire month, and after doing private tests to make sure I was ready, whatever that meant. I had been a Jounin when I left Kirigakure, despite having only been eleven as I was trained much harder in Kiri then they train in Konoha. However, they decided only to make me a Chuunin rank because I still wasn't 'trustworthy' enough.

I did not wear a flak jacket, wearing the same outfit I'd worn when I came to Konoha. A simple full-body fishnet suit, black fingerless gloves with plates on the top of my hands, black shinobi sandals, and a short crimson kimono. My black jacket was still folded and tied around my waist to look like an obi, and I still wore my shoulder-length crimson hair in a high ponytail. The only thing that was different was that I now wore a dark purple Konoha hitai-ate around my bicep, the color matching my eyes. Akashia was at the apartment I was staying at, as she wasn't feeling good.

I walked into Yakiniku Q, which I knew Shikamaru's team often went to. After I came to Konoha, I'd gotten fairly close to him and his team, sometimes even leading their team when Asuma was busy. Though, that only happened three times in the past eight months. I heard Chouji and Ino laughing as I walked towards where they were.

"Dammit, don't laugh." I heard Shikamaru say as I got closer. I walked to their booth, seeing Ino and Chouji sitting together and Asuma with Shikamaru opposite of them. I grinned when I saw the flak jacket on Shikamaru, sitting down abruptly beside Ino.

"Yeah, don't laugh. It looks good." I said with a smirk as Ino inched over to give me more room.

"Here to mooch again, Hasu?" Shikamaru said with a scowl at me.

"Nah... I'm here to treat you guys. Time to give Asuma-sempai a break." I grinned, and Asuma grinned back.

"Anyways, let's celebrate!" Asuma said, and Chouji wasted no time in shouting.

"Itadakimasu!" He called excitedly.

"Hey! Chouji, don't eat before we toast!" Ino laughed, and I did as well at the look on Shikamaru's face.

"Oh! Ino!" I said suddenly, and the blonde girl paused in her eating to look at me curiously. "You're hair looks a lot like mine now that it's short... but a bit longer then mine." I said with a smile, and she smiled back.

"It really does, doesn't it?" She chirped happily before returning to eating.

"Aren't you going to eat, Hasu?" Chouji asked, and I shook my head.

"Not hungry. Still recovering from the stomach injury I got on my last mission." I said nonchalantly. "Besides, I'd hardly be treating you if I pigged out as well." I said with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess." Chouji shrugged. "More food for me!" Shikamaru laughed quietly while Ino rolled her eyes.

"Chouji, you're gonna get sick again. Can't you with a little more appreciation for the food?" Ino complained.

"Hey! I know how to eat a lot _and_ appreciate it at the same time." Chouji said, and I laughed.

"Yeah. And why appreciate your food when you're just gonna utterly destroy it when you eat it?" I pointed out, and Ino sighed.

"You're just as bad as he is, sometimes..." She muttered.

"Really? Only sometimes? Wow, what an improvement..." I mused aloud with a smirk. Chouji suddenly reached out and grabbed the last piece of meat.

"Hey! That's the meat I've been saving!" Ino shouted in my ear, and I winced away from it.

"The last bite. The end of the meal, the most precious morsel of meat... I won't let anyone take the last piece but me." Chouji said seriously as he popped it in his mouth.

"What the heck are you saying!? You idiot!" Ino shouted as Chouji happily munched on the food. "That's why everyone makes fun of you, Chouji! You stupid fa-"

"Ino!" Shikamaru said at the same time I slammed my hand over her mouth. "That word is taboo. But damn, Chouji. Eating isn't a battle. Lighten up a little, eh?"

"Honestly. I wonder how dinner's like in your house when there are three of you trying to get the last piece... like... triple crazy ninja fight over a french fry..." I wondered aloud as I removed my hand from Ino's mouth. "That would be hilarious to see..." I looked over to see Asuma looking seriously at Chouji.

"Chouji, lately all you do is eat. Why don't you spend more time training? Shikamaru's already a Chuunin." Asuma said seriously, and Chouji lowered his head sadly.

"I'm going to go pay the bill." I said quietly, standing up. Asuma shot me a worried glance as I walked away, but I ignored it. I handed the cashier the ryô, waiting for him to process it. I gripped the counter tightly, closing my eyes.

_"Tch. Why can't you ever do anything right, Hasu? You're pathetic! You constantly get hurt on missions, and never do enough damage to our enemies. You're worthless." A boy complained irritably to a younger Hasu._

_"Yeah! Maybe you should spend more time actually training then holding the rest of us back!" A girl sneered to her, the two of them turning around and walking away. Hasu shrunk to the ground, burying her face in her knees, even though she knew that she could do more. If she did, though... She would be hated. She would be killed._

"Here you go, ma'am." The cashier's voice broke me out of my thoughts. I grabbed the small paper he was holding out to me, smiling at him.

"Thank you." I said with a smile and a polite nod, turning around and walking to the table to see no one was there. I frowned before walking towards the bathroom area, nearly running into Ino. "Hey. I got it paid for." I said, walking past her before she could say anything.

"But sensei just told me I always eat and never improve." I heard Chouji saying sadly as I walked towards the hallway leading to the bathrooms.

"Didn't I just tell you that I am me, and you are you? How can we compare ourselves to each other? That's just stupid." Shikamaru said as I walked into the hallway.

"He's right. Don't take Asuma-sempai's words personally." I said, announcing my presence.

"Just relax, all right?" Shikamaru added, and Chouji smiled. "Anyways, I'll see you later. My dad wants to teach me some stupid new jutsu... damn it."

"Shikamaru..." Chouji said, and Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at him. "Good luck with your training."

"..Yeah." Shikamaru said, turning around and leaving. I looked at Chouji, grinning.

"...What?" He asked curiously.

"You're gonna do some training of your own." I said, and Chouji looked confused. Before he could say anything, I'd hopped onto his back, holding onto him tightly. "Onward!" I ordered with a laugh.

* * *

The next morning I woke up on Chouji's couch the next morning to knocking on the door. I grumbled an insult and rolled over, burying my face in the pillow his mother had given me the night before as Chouji answered the door.

"Chouji! We've got a mission. Sasuke left the village last night to join Orochimaru, and we need to go and get him back." Shikamaru said quickly, and I flipped over so fast I rolled over the side and slammed into the floor.

"Ow! Shit!" I cursed as I stumbled to my feet, brushing off my kimono quickly as I ran to join Chouji at the doorway. Shikamaru and Naruto stared at us, their eyes wide. "Get your minds out of the gutters, assholes. We trained so late last night I just crashed here... On the sofa!" I growled angrily. "Sasuke and Orochimaru?" I demanded urgently, and they nodded.

"Yeah! We gotta get him back! Hurry up and get ready!" Naruto shouted to Chouji.

"I'm sorry, Hasu. Tsunade is only letting me bring Genin." Shikamaru said, and I nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry... I'll get her permission, and then I'll catch up to you guys." I said as I pushed myself around Chouji and out the door. I ran to the apartment I was staying at, about to just grab my weapon pouches and leave when I noticed Akashia was curled up on the floor, not looking well. I walked over to her slowly, kneeling in front of the white wolf and gently rubbing her fur. "Hey... Akashia, you feeling okay?" I asked softly, and the wolf opened her ice blue eyes. She let out a quite whine to inform me of her discomfort, and I bit my lip. _Damn it... Those guys are going to need my help..._

_Oh why am I even thinking about this? Akashia comes first._ I thought seriously. "Come on, girl... Let's get you help..." I slipped my arms under the massive wolf's chest and belly, struggling to lift her up. "Come on, Akashia. Help me out here." I grunted as I lifted her up.

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" Hana Inuzuka asked after I set Akashia on the small bed. It had taken me nearly two hours just getting her to the hospital alone, due to her size and weight. She was larger then me, and much heavier.

"I'm not sure, honestly. I left her at the apartment because she told me she wanted to rest, and I went back this morning to find her like this. She hasn't spoken a word to me..." I said worriedly as I rubbed the white wolfs fur soothingly.

"Hm... Don't worry, ninken tend to do that when they are injured... Have you gotten in any fights recently?" Hana asked, and I nodded.

"Last week. We both got injured on a mission, but her wound wasn't that bad... It was a small cut on her shoulder, there..." I pointed to the side Hana was on, and she carefully inspected the area with her fingers. Akashia let out a whimper as she pressed on something. "What'd you do?" I demanded with a low growl.

"Calm down. I know what I'm doing." Hana said sternly, though she looked at me understandingly.

"Sorry..." I muttered, though I still watched her suspiciously as I gently rubbed Akashia's fur. "Look at you... You get scratched on a mission and this is what becomes of it... We'll have to be more careful next time." I whispered softly to the wolf, who twitched her ear in response.

"It's a pretty bad infection..." Hana sighed, and I looked up at her.

"That wound got infected? But I'm certain I cleaned it..." I said in confusion.

"It was deeper then it looks. A frequent mistake. You'll have to be more careful in the future." Hana said, and I nodded.

"How bad is it?" I asked worriedly.

"I can fix it up, and she should be fine." Hana said, and I nodded. "I'm sorry, but this'll hurt a bit..." Hana said, holding up a rather large syringe. I watched her press it into the wound, causing Akashia to let out a soft yelp as it penetrated the sensitive skin. I suppressed a protective growl, watching as Hana began to draw the puss and blood out of the wound. I watched Akashia worriedly, not liking the fact that she wasn't speaking.

"How long until she'll feel better?" I asked her as she injected Akashia with a painkiller.

"She'll feel better fairly quickly after I clean the wound well." Hana said. "You can leave, if you want."

"No." I said, shaking my head as I gently rubbed Akashia behind the ear. "I don't want to leave until she's feeling better... I don't want to leave until she can too, honestly, but I have to help my friends on a dangerous mission... I should really be going all ready, but..." I trailed off as I stroked the white wolf.

"I understand." Hana said, and I sighed as I lightly stroked Akashia's ear. "So what was this mission that you were both hurt on?"

"Hm? Oh. We were sent to infiltrate a clan of bandits." I said with a frown.

"And here I thought infiltration was the ANBU's job." Hana said disapprovingly.

"Same here. Apparently it wasn't important enough for them to be bothered with..." I said, rolling my eyes. "No, it's probably just because we're still recovering from Orochimaru." I said with a hint of irritation. "But we had to infiltrate this clan of bandits. We were found out and they tried to hurt my teammate, but I knocked him out of the way... I ended up getting stabbed right through the stomach. Akashia ran in and got us out, but was nicked by a kunai as she carried me." I gently stroked Akashia's muzzle.

"She's a beautiful ninken. How did you manage to get her?" Hana asked curiously.

"...My mother. She had a wolf as well. They were killed soon after her wolf had her first litter, and Akashia was the only one to survive. When I got there, I buried my mother, her wolf, and the rest of the litter, and took Akashia with me." I said, and Hana looked at me sympathetically, but only nodded.

"She looks like she's from the Land of Water, or the Land of Snow. There are very rarely any white ninken anywhere else." Hana said offhandedly.

"Yes. My mother was from the Land of Water." I said with a small smile. _It's not a lie... I just didn't mention that I was too._

"Interesting. How did she get this?" Hana asked as she worked, pointing with her chin to three, claw inflicted scars on Akashia's muzzle. I narrowed my eyes sadly.

"Mission gone wrong... An thought to be ally summoned an animal, and attacked us. Akashia was trying to protect me." I said quietly.

"You must be a very good master for her to go to such lengths for you." Hana said, and I laughed quietly.

"But a horrible one to let her get injured so often." I said, and Hana shook her head.

"You cannot stop a determined creature from doing what they want without using force. Using force would be wrong... Therefore, you are a good master." Hana admonished, and I smiled at her.

"And you are a good person." I said, and Hana smiled lightly.

"All right... I'm done cleaning. She can go now." Hana announced as she stood up, pulling the gloves from her hands.

"All right..." I said quietly, standing up as well. I walked in front of Akashia, and she lifted a paw towards me. I smiled and grasped with my hand. "Come on, furrball... We've got a mission." I said, releasing the paw. Akashia jumped from the table, Hana and I moving out of the large beasts way.

"See? She's acting fine already." Hana said with a smile, and I lightly hugged the woman, startling her.

"Thank you." I said as I pulled away, and Hana nodded.

"No problem. If she gets hurt again, make sure to clean the wound thoroughly." Hana called after me as Akashia and I left the room.

* * *

An hour later, Akashia was running through the forest with me on her back. "How much farther, Akashia?" I asked urgently.

"We're almost there..." Akashia growled, and I nodded.

"All right." I said, jumping from Akashia's back and running beside the wolf. "Akashia, go back and find whoever's blood you scented earlier. Help them if you can. If you can't, then follow the others' scent and help them!" I called to the wolf as I dashed ahead of her.

"Don't use _that_!" Akashia called as she turned around mid-air.

"Got it!" I shouted to her, running out of hearing range as she dashed in the opposite direction. I ran as fast as I could, jumping from a tree branch into an open, grassy clearing. I saw a pale man, the purple rope around his waist letting me identify him as one of Orochimaru's subordinates, attacking Naruto. I ran forward, unnoticed until I slammed into Naruto, barreling him out of the way. The pale man's bone-looking weapon slammed into my arm, but didn't cut me. He flipped backwards as I attempted to kick him in the stomach, landing a number of yards away.

"And you are?" The man asked calmly.

"Hasu. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance." I said politely, holding my fighting stance.

"Hasu..." Naruto began.

"Don't worry, Naruto. Go get your teammate." I said, cutting him off.

"Be careful! This Kimimaro guy uses his own bones as weapons." Naruto said, sounding freaked out.

"Bones...?" I mused aloud. _No wonder his weapon looks like a bone. It freakin' is one._ I thought, frowning.

"This guy's insanely strong." Naruto said, sounding worried.

"Shut up, Naruto. You need to save your teammate, so stop wasting time talking to me." I said calmly as Kimimaro readied his own battle pose. "I won't let myself get defeated." I said, waiting until I heard Naruto leave to look at Kimimaro. "Hey... I'm not really good at fighting short range... Would you mind fighting long range?" I asked Kimimaro, and he simply ran forward. "I'm guessing that's a 'no'..." I said with a sigh as I leapt away from Kimimaro's attack. He quickly changed his attack, swinging up at me as I was still in the air. The bone collided with my ankle, but it just made a clashing noise without cutting me.

The impact was had enough that I was sent rolling to the ground, quickly flipping back onto my feet. Kimimaro seemed to be contemplating something, probably wondering why I wasn't being cut. _If he puts enough force, it'll break right through... _I thought, frowning. _I'm glad Akashia isn't here. This wouldn't be good if she was..._ I ran forward at Kimimaro, slashing my hand through the air like claws, but he simply leaned away from the attack, slamming the bone weapon into my side. It knocked me off balance, and I quickly somersaulted away from a stab at me.

"...Interesting." Kimimaro mused calmly. I rolled to my feet, frowning.

"You're surprisingly skilled, aren't you?" I said. _I'd already have taken three killing blows if it wasn't for my defense, and I haven't even gotten close to landing a blow... Damn it all._ I thought, my eyebrows pulling together in frustration.

"As are you... Let us continue." Kimimaro said, and I nodded my agreement.

"Let us." I agreed, and we charged once more. He prepared to swing at me, and I jumped into the air. He easily evaded the swipe I'd aim at his face, but I also swiped at his back. My hand missed by an inch, and I landed behind him, spinning around to face him. He was frowning calmly, a trail of blood down the right side of his back, a long slash going up it. "You never saw it, did you?" I asked, reading his silence as a 'no'. "I'm doing it right, then... Oh well. I have no doubt you'll see it after a few more times. You seem to pick up on things rather quickly." I ran forward, and Kimimaro raised the sword towards me.

"Dance of the Camellia!" He called as I got close to him. At speeds I couldn't dodge, he stabbed at my body with the bone, hitting nearly twenty times at extreme speed and penetrating power. I winced, jumping backwards and rolling away as fast as I could. I rolled to my feet, quickly glancing at the damage. Most of the stabs were on my chest, but a few hit my upper arms and thighs. "Strange... They should have gone through your body, yet they seem to only be superficial." Kimimaro mused. _Thank goodness for that... It was strong enough to pierce my defense, which isn't surprising... Luckily I was quick enough to regenerate the defense and it slowed the power enough that it wasn't deep..._

"What is your power, girl?" Kimimaro asked, and I smiled.

"Ah... If I told you, it woudn't be much of a secret." I said, and he frowned calmly. _Funny how he can show emotion while looking like he isn't._ I thought before dashing forward. _I need to get that weapon away._ I decided as I aimed a kick towards the opposite shoulder. Kimimaro jumped away, but some invisible force slammed into the bone with enough force that it was knocked from Kimimaro's hand. I aimed a kick at his chest before he could figure out what happened, but he simply jumped away from it.

"... Very well." Kimimaro said as he straightened up, still a good number of feet away from me. I watched in confusion as he pulled the unzipped top part of the robe from his upper body, pulling his arms out of his sleeves. The robe hung around his waist, held up by the rope around it. A strange mark spread across his upper chest as he lifted his arm to it, strange and grotesque noises sounded from it. A number of bones tore from his flesh, expanding out as the material around them flaked away. "_My_ abilities are morphic bones. Didn't that kagebunshin brat tell you that before?" Kimimaro asked as they expanded.

"Um... That's really kind gross." I said, shivering. He ran forward quickly, swinging his arms at me. _Shit!_ I thought in alarm before a massive amount of glass shards shot from the ground Kimimaro was on. He jumped backwards, safely avoiding the glass while I safely avoided him.

"Interesting... So that is your power."


	3. Chapter 2

**Remember people. I do _not_ own Naruto or anything but Akashia and Hasu... And eventually Yukio. But, I do thank you for reading ~.^**

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"Interesting. So that is your power." Kimimaro said, and I felt sweat trickle down my brow. _Damn it... Using this as a defense is seriously draining me... I'm surprised I've lasted this long._ I thought. _Sorry, Akashia for using it even though I promised not to... _I thought apologetically as blood trickled from the scattered wounds on my chest, arms, and thighs. "How?" He asked, and I looked at him, the glass shards between us. The thick layer of invisible glass that had coated my skin disappeared. _I'll have to use my power for what it's made for... Offense. I can't do that while draining myself using it for defense, especially not since it wasn't made for that._

"Kekkei Genkai." I said, and Kimimaro narrowed his eyes.

"No... No such Kekkei Genkai exists in the Land of Fire..." Kimimaro said, and I shrugged.

"Never said I was born here." I growled out pointedly, and he nodded.

"Interesting... But not enough to defeat me." Kimimaro said, and I rolled my eyes.

"I never thought I could beat you. I just said that so Naruto would go do what needed to be done. I'm just here to keep you busy." I said.

"I see... Very well then... I will kill you, just as you expect." Kimimaro said, and I smiled.

"Good. It's been a pleasure." I said, nodding curtly at him. _Oh shit. I'm _so_ going to die._ I thought, internally panicking despite my outward calmness. He ran forward without another word, and I narrowed my eyes determinedly. The glass shards that were between us turned, aiming at the charging Kimimaro, but he ran around them with speed that I couldn't follow. _Oh shit. Ooooh shit. You see this, Hasu? This is what you get for poking the bear! Never poke a bear!_ I screamed at myself internally. Coating my hand in thick glass, I ran forward and met Kimimaro head on. I pushed the arm that had bones sticking out of it away as I slammed my fist into his chest with my glass covered hand.

His other hand slammed into my shoulder, and his ribs suddenly extended from his chest. They weren't able to pierce the skin on my hand, as it was coated in very thick glass which I was constantly replacing to ensure that any cracks were gone almost as soon as they appeared. However, the ribs reached out far enough that they cut my cheeks painfully. A bone extended from the hand that had hit my shoulder, and I jumped backwards as it pierce my unprotected skin. With a grunt of pain, I rolled unceremoniously across the ground, reaching up and grasping my wounded shoulder as the glass around my hand disappeared.

The wound wasn't very deep, but it still caused me a fair amount of pain. "This is _my_ Kekkei Genkai."Kimimaro said from where he stood as I sat up. "My Kekkei Genkai allows me to control bone formation, as well as the density of calcium to manipulate the formations. Humans have around two hundred bones in their body... but I can change that number." He said, two more ribs that shouldn't exist extending from his chest. I watched, feeling disgusted, before looking up at his eyes.

"Hey... This is probably not the best time to ask... but doesn't that fucking hurt?" I asked suddenly. "I mean really. This?" I pointed to the wound on my shoulder. "This fucking hurts, and I don't have god damn bones popping out of the skin, tearing it apart with every movement." I said, standing up.

"My skin was designed for this... It doesn't not harm me." Kimimaro said, and I nodded.

"All right... Well, now that we've cleared that up..." I said, dashing forward, glass swarming around my hand in the shape of claws. Kimimaro simply stood there until I was almost in arms range. He threw his arm out at him, his palm outstretched. I saw the bone springing from his palm, aimed right between my eyes. Before I could comprehend what happened, I was soaring through the air, hitting the ground and landing on a pile of sand. _Sand?_ I wondered, looking at the thing that had cushioned me. I winced, sitting up as someone walked around and in front of me. I blinked in surprise, recognizing the person from the Chuunin Exams I had watched.

"Gaara?" I questioned, frowning. _I think that was his name..._

"Hm... So it was you." Kimimaro said calmly, shooting his fingertips towards Gaara. A mass of sand created a shield in front of Gaara, the fingertips hitting it and harmlessly dropping to the ground.

"You are injured." Gaara said, inching his head a bit to the side to look at me from the corner of his eyes as I sat up on the sand.

"I realize this... Don't worry. I have no intention of getting in your way or anywhere within hitting distance..." I said, standing up the rest of the way, but not moving forward. "I'm not one to hold grudges, but what are you doing here?" I asked.

"...I own Konoha a large debt." Gaara said simply, and I nodded.

"Glad to hear that your on our side, even if it's just this once..." I said, wincing slightly as I rolled my injured shoulder. Gaara glanced at me as I stepped to his side.

"I'll handle this." He said emotionlessly, and I shook my head.

"Two is better then one... I can fight without moving my feet from this spot... You do your thing, and I'll do my thing without getting in your way." I said, and Gaara eyed me before nodding curtly. "His attacks are based on his bones. He can throw bones like just now, pull them out of his body, and recreate them however he pleases. Be careful." I warned him as the sand swirled around his gourd. It flowed forward swiftly, and Kimimaro simply flipped over them, flinging more fingertips at us as he did. Gaara easily summoned sand in front of us, the bones colliding with it like before.

Kimimaro easily dodged more of the sand. "How foolish. Without sand, you can do nothing." Kimimaro said as sand rained down at him. As he was about to jump away, sand wrapped around his feet.

"But if I have sand, I can do anything..." Gaara said calmly as the sand pelted Kimimaro, swarming around him. I narrowed my eyes. "You are the foolish one. It takes no effort for me to create sand from the ground."

"Hm... You got him." I said, seeing that Kimimaro was completely covered in a pillar of sand.

"Not yet." Gaara said calmly, and I watched as he clenched his outstretched hand into a fist, the sand squeezing Kimimaro in an instant, blood flowing from the sand.

"...I must say, that jutsu is rather... gruesome. Effective, though." I mused, watching as Kimimaro pulled himself from the sand, his body covered in the strange marks that had only been on his upper chest previously. "..Well. Effective on any normal creature..."

"His bones... He's another monster." Gaara said calmly.

"What pressure. If it weren't for my bones, I'd have been crushed... I was taking you too lightly... This sand will never catch me again." Kimimaro growled. Gaara took a stance, clapping his palms together. A massive amount of sand sprung from the ground, completely enveloping everything in front of us. _Amazing... Sheesh. I feel like a wimp compared to him. Oh well. It's to be expected... Naruto did say he had a Bijuu._ I thought as I looked at Gaara. He crouched down, slamming his palms into the sand covered ground, the sand shaking with crushing force. _Incredible... He's extremely powerful..._

"... How persistent." Gaara said, and I looked towards the sand with a frown. I saw a form under a knocked over tree.

"All right... This is irritating. If he keeps refusing to die, I'll have to join in..." I sighed as Gaara raised his hands outwards, some of the giant mass of sand swarming around the form. Gaara clenched his hands into fists, hopefully crushing him. "Are you kidding me!" I growled as Kimimaro shot from the sand, perfectly fine, and completely transformed. Though, I wasn't too surprised. How much can a person who can grow bones, shoot bones, and mutate bones, do to surprise you? He ran at us at high speeds, and Gaara created a thick wall of sand in front of us.

All of a sudden, he shot through the sand, and I shot out and grabbed Gaara, pulling him away just before Kimimaro would have hit him. I hit the ground on my back, Gaara landing beside me from the force of my pull. "You're 'absolute defense' which has such high praise... this is it's limit? A true shame." I jumped forward, slashing my glass clawed hand at Kimimaro. My glass claws scratched him before his tail swung and him me hard in the abdomen, sending me flying with a pain cry. I slammed into the sand wall so hard that I went through it, feeling a rib crack under the impact. Gaara caught me with sand before I impacted with the ground.

"This sand of yours is starting to annoy me. You will die first, Gaara." Kimimaro growled, his voice distorted by his strange transformation. I groaned in pain as I rolled onto my side, seeing Kimimaro pull out his spine from the hole in the sand I'd created. "Dance of the Clematis."

"...That's freaking nasty." I said with a wince, simply laying on my side. Gaara stood up just as Kimimaro swung his spine at him. Gaara quickly created a shield of sand around him, the spine wrapping around the sand. I narrowed my eyes angrily. _That's it..._ I thought angrily as Kimimaro's arm was completely covered in a giant bone with a sharp point, the bone being basically as long as he was tall.

"This is the thickest bone in my body. It will easily pierce your pathetic defense of sand." Kimimaro growled in his distorted voice before letting out a light, wet cough. Before I nor Kimimaro could do anything, a massive shield of sand in the shape of Shukaku appeared between them, forming around the spinal cord Kimimaro was wielding. _Interesting._ I thought as a long sword of thick glass started forming in my hand. I watched from where I lay on my side as Kimimaro ran forward, slamming into the shield. Sand flew around Kimimaro at the impact, and I held my breath as I waited to see the outcome. I watched as suddenly, the bone around Kimimaro's arm shattered. "...It's indeed solid." He said emotionlessly.

"I gathered all the strongest materials from the ground... With chakra, I pressurize them into dense sand around me... That ability is a Kekkei Genkai, isn't it?" Gaara asked calmly, the wall of sand that had been between me and them disappearing. I stayed on the ground, laying on my side as a glass sword continued forming in my hand. Since I was so tired from using it as a defense previously, it took longer to form.

"The Kaguya Clan... Now it's my ability alone." Kimimaro said distortedly. _...I know that feeling._ I thought tiredly as I slowly stood up.

"You are the last of your clan... That means that here and now, you're clan will be finished." Gaara said calmly.

"Heh... Maybe. Because of my body's illness, I won't last long... However, I will not be destroyed, as I am not alone. While I am fulfilling Orochimaru-sama's aspirations, I will remain in his heart forever." Kimimaro declared.

"...Orochimaru's brainwashing. You are soulless." Gaara said as the sand around him shifted. The Shukaku shaped shield disappeared as the sand around him moved the spine away from his body. The sand wrapped around Kimimaro's body, and I stood up, ignoring the pain from my cracked rib as I did. The sand around Kimimaro started creating an deep sinkhole. The glass sword disappeared from my grip, reforming around my hand as invisible claws. "You'll sink to a depth of two hundred meters and be held there... With the pressure of the sand clinging to your body, you'll be unable to move even a finger..." Gaara said emotionlessly.

"Is he finally dead?" I asked, wincing as I touched my back and the rib shifted.

"Dance of the Seedling Ferns!" I heard the muffled words from the sinkhole, my eyes widening as bones started springing from the ground, making their way towards me as well.

"Ho- Shit!" I shouted, leaping into the air. The glass around my hand disappeared as a plate of thick glass formed under my feet. I crouched on it as I floated into the air, the bones barely missing me. I watched as Gaara floated over to me on a cloud of sand. A cloud of sand formed under the sheet of glass I was floating on, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the glass disappeared. I winced as I crouched on the sand, looking over at Gaara gratefully. "Thanks. I doubt I'd be able to keep that up for very long..."

"I have always been able of using sand to carry me. It was a simple task..." He looked down at the huge amount of bones below us, both of us breathing heavily. "He was stubborn, but this is the end... He won't come back out." Gaara said, and I nodded.

"It's not brainwashing. It's all my own reasoning." Kimimaro's distorted voice said from behind us, and I turned around in shock to see him literally growing out of one of the bones. His arm was covered by the massive bone again, and my eyes widdened in shock as he aimed at Gaara. "What the hell would you know!" He shouted furiously, swinging his arm at Gaara. I moved forward quickly, about to try and save Gaara when Kimimaro suddenly froze. Gaara and I stared wide eyed at him, but he was dead.

"Holy... shit... That was close..." I breathed out, my heart pounding in my chest. Silently, Gaara moved the sand clouds, floating us over the bones. The clouds of sand disappeared, dropping us a few inches to the base of tree trunks. I winced, leaning against the tree.

"...We would have been killed, wouldn't we?" Gaara asked suddenly, looking at me. I shook my head.

"No. I would have been killed so you could get away." I said, and Gaara frowned.

"Why?" He asked.

"Hm?" I grunted questioningly, looking over at him.

"Why would you die so I could live when two months ago, I was trying to kill your village?" Gaara asked, and I frowned at him.

"I don't hold grudges, Gaara. In my eyes, everyone deserves a chance to live, and I am more then willing to sacrifice myself to let them get that." I said with a shrug.

"What about your chance to live?" Gaara inquired uncertainly.

"...My chance to live lies within the only person who trusts me and doesn't hate me." I said, and Gaara frowned.

"Do most people hate you?" Gaara asked, and I nodded. "Why?" I blinked at him, frowning.

"This is why..." I said, looking at the ground between us. He followed my gaze as a round orb of glass formed slowly. After a few moments, it was completely formed. "It's my Kekkei Genkai." I explained, and Gaara raised his gaze to my face.

"I was under the impression that Konohagakure doesn't look down on those with Kekkei Genkai's." He said, and I shook my head.

"They don't... but I've only been in Konohagakure for about nine months. I was born and raised for the first eleven years of my life in Kirigakure. They kill people with Kekkei Genkai's. My parents abandoned me when I was young for having the ability to manipulate and to create glass out of nothing. I learned quickly to hide my ability, so I was raised by a woman who'd come across me one day. I went to the academy, learned to become a shinobi without using my powers. For my genin years, I wasn't very skilled at much anything. Then I started learning jutsu's, and I quickly scaled the ranks until I reached Jounin at nine. Which, mind you, is _late_ in Kirigakure because of how hard they train you."

"But then a mission took a turn for the worse while I was with one of my teammates. I saved him from dying by protecting him with glass, but he completely freaked out... Tried to kill me. When he failed, he told the entire village of my Kekkei Genkai. I went to the Mizukage after the sixth assasination attempt. Handed 'em my hitai-ate, told 'em I was abandoning my role as a shinobi, turned and left. Then I got lost in the Land of Fire, wandered a bit too close to Konoha, ran into a shinobi, and they took me to see the Sandaime. He accepted me into the village, and was one of the only two people to know about my past, the other being Inoichi-sempai. Asuma-sempai also learned it, and now he and Inoichi-sempai are the only two that know... Well, now you know too." I said with a nonchalant shrug.

"I see..." Gaara said calmly.

"I hear you grew up being hated and feared too, didn't you?" I asked, and he frowned at me questioningly. I looked up at the clouds, frowning. "Most jinchuriki are. Yagura-sama only became the Mizukage because he was so feared... Everyone was terrified of him obliterating the village if he wasn't allowed to become it... He was a man to be feared though... The strange thing was, he was a very kind man, despite the horrible things he did." I sighed. "People have no reason to fear those who are different just because they are. It isn't right... I never did anything to hurt anyone, but I still had to live in fear and being hated just because of my blood."

"Few things in this world are fair. We are an example of things that shouldn't be." Gaara said somberly.

"Wrong!" I declared, looking towards Gaara. He looked at me, frowning. "We aren't the strange ones. We're the normal ones. Everyone else are just weirdo's." I said with a grin.

"Heh... Yeah. That must be it." Gaara said, and I nodded.

"Damn right." I said, grinning still.

"You are very strange." Gaara said, and I shrugged.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me. I still don't see it." I said with a laugh. The motion of laughing, though, caused my rib to shift, turning my laugh into a pained gasp and wince.

"...We should return to Konoha." Gaara said calmly, and I nodded.

"Probably..." I winced. "...a good idea."

* * *

"Shikamaru!" I called as I ran down the halls of the hospital. Gaara had carried us to the hospital on his sand, but we'd parted ways there. Shikamaru and Temari were sitting in the hall, on opposite sides on the benches. Shikamaru looked up at me as I shouted his name.

"Hasu?" Shikamaru blanched, seeming somewhat startled to see my numerous injuries.

"The hell's with that look? I'm not a lazy bastard like you, Shikamaru. I did follow you guys like I said I would... I was simply delayed." I defended my self as I walked over to him.

"Who beat you up so bad? I haven't seen you look this bad since... Last week?" Shikamaru said, and I sighed.

"Some Kimimaro guy... He was fighting Naruto when I got there, and Sasuke was gone... I took over and gave Naruto the chance to chase Sasuke, which he took. But this dude was freaking creepy as hell, Shikamaru. He could do all sorts of crazy stuff with his _bones._ He almost impaled me through the face by sending his arm's bones out of his hand at me." I said, shivering. "His ribs did these." I pointed to the cuts on my cheeks. "He pulled out his radius-" I pointed to one of the bones between my elbow and wrist "-and stabbed for all over the place..." I pointed to the numerous shallow wounds on my upper arms, chest, and thighs. "And then he did it again and caught me off guard. He would have gone all the way through if I didn't jump away in time..." I pointed to the deeper and largest wound I had, on my shoulder.

"...You really get around..." Temari muttered.

"Then the bastard went all curse seal... I think that's what he did, anyways... and transformed. Broke right through Gaara's sand. If I didn't move him out of the way in time, he would have been hit head on by him..." I said, cut off by Shikamaru, Temari looking interested now.

"Wait, Gaara helped you?" He asked, and I nodded.

"He used his sand to pull me away from that bone to the face thing I mentioned earlier." I winced, putting a hand over the broken rib without actually touching it, as it shifted painfully.

"Another injury?" Shikamaru guessed, and I nodded.

"He was about to attack Gaara, and I attacked him from behind... His tail, yes he grew a freakin' _tail_, knocked me so hard into Gaara's sand that I went right through it... It broke a rib and hurt me bad enough I wasn't able to move for a few minutes..." I said, wincing again. "How is everyone else?" I asked quickly, and Shikamaru looked down.

"He's sulking." Temari informed me, and I nodded.

"Neji and Chouji are in critical condition." Shikamaru said, and I felt the blood drain from my face. "Kiba and Akamaru's lives aren't in danger, but they're still pretty bad as well." Shikamaru said quietly, and I brought a hand to my forehead.

"Oh... I'm sorry, Shikamaru... " I said softly.

"Sacrifice in an inevitable part of missions. Didn't you guys receive emotion training?" Temari said with a sigh, and I looked over at her.

"Oh, I did." I said cheerfully.

"Training and actual combat are different. In a mission, you don't know what's going to happen and I was team leader for the first time on this mission. Because of that I understand I'm not cut out to be a shinobi." Shikamaru said.

"...Unexpectedly fragile. Men are strange." Temari said, and I looked at her sharply. Before I said anything, though, Shikamaru stood up.

"I shouldn't have been made the team leader. I just trusted everyone else. I was to lazy... I didn't have enough strength. This is my fault." Shikamaru said, and I glared at the wall.

"Are you afraid of being hurt?" Temari asked, and Shikamaru said nothing, just turning and walking away.

"...Shikamaru." I recognized Shikaku's voice. "You're being talked down to by a girl and you're running away?"

"...I don't want to have a troublesome argument because I'm not a girl." Shikamaru said, and I sat down slowly, wincing as I did.

"You also aren't a man. You're just a regular coward. Even if you quit being a shinobi, missions will still occur. Your companions will just go out with a new leader. They still might die, just like they might not if you are their leader. Look at this as an experience and learn from it. Maybe then you'll carry out missions better next time. If they really matter to you, before you think about running away, consider that you may become greater for the sake of your friends. That's what it means to be a real companion, you coward." Shikaku spat, and I turned around.

"Shikaku-sempai-" I began to say before I heard the door behind me shift.

"It's alright now." Tsunade said from behind me, walking around me and sitting down to my side. "The destruction of cells from the pills were stopped by an antidote I put together. He was saved, and it was a success. I used a special drug-mixing manual from the Nara Clan. There was good information in there. The result of intricate studies?" Tsunade guessed. Shikaku turned to say something when Shizune's yell cut him off.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune shouted as she ran into view. "Hyuuga Neji has been stabilized. Also, Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto have returned. While he was seriously injured, his life is in no danger." Shizune announced happily, sweat trickling down her brow from her healing.

"Shikamaru... It seems your mission was a failure. But everyone is alive, and that's the important thing." Tsunade said kindly, and I clapped my hands together.

"Well! Not to ruin this happy 'no-ones-life-is-in-danger' moment, but I think my rib just punctured my lung, and it really kind of hurts to breath. Help?" I suggested cheerfully, though my breathing was wheezy and painful from how little air I was getting.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything in Naruto. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Thank goodness for that, cause I can't draw worth a crap XD. Read and review, please. Reviews make the world go round. Honest. Just like Santa and the Easter bunny exist. Scientific facts! -nod-**

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"Ah... Much better." I said with a sigh of relief as I stretched.

"Hey! I only healed your rib. Be careful or you'll tear your stitches." Tsunade said seriously, and I bowed to her quickly.

"Sorry. I'll be careful." I said, and Tsunade scowled at me.

"Uh huh. I'll believe it when I see it" She said disbelievingly.

"What room is Kiba in?" I asked, brushing my shoulder free of any lint. I was wearing my short sleeved, lower thigh length, crimson kimono and two no shoes. Under my kimono I had bandages covering my entire chest, shoulders, arms, and thighs. My black jacket was folded and tied around my waist to look like a simple obi.

"Three doors down." Tsunade sighed, and I was out of the room in a second. I went to the directed room, opening the door without knocking to find Hana was tending to Akamaru, a number of ninken in the room, the largest one by far being Akashia, who was hovering near Hana, watching her tend to Akamaru. Kiba was in the corner of the room on a bed, wrapped in bandages.

"Oh, damn it Kiba. If I knew you were going for the mummy look today, I would ahve picked out a different outfit." I said with a pout as I walked into the room, closing the door behind me. Everyone in the room looked up at me.

"You did it, didn't you."Akashia barked, and I nodded.

"Sorry, Akashia..." I mumbled guiltily, the only one in the room who could understand her.

"You idiot! You know how much that takes out of you. Without me there, you would be defeated as soon as it drained you." Akashia sighed, turning away from me and looking back at Akamaru.

"Sheesh... Scolded by a talking dog..." I muttered under my breath.

"Why are you so beat up, Hasu?" Kiba asked tiredly.

"I followed you guys like I promised Shikamaru, Naruto, and Chouji. Who are all fine, by the way. Chouji was in critical condition, but Tsunade-sama fixed him up. Naruto was badly hurt according to Shizune, but there's no danger to his life. Neji was the same as Chouji, but Shizune got him out of danger. Naruto was fighting this Kimimaro guy when I reached him, so I held him off while Naruto chased Sasuke." I sighed, sitting at the foot of Kiba's bed.

"Kimimaro..? But there were only four." Kiba said, confused.

"He must have joined in later, then. But he was strong as hell... He was an inch from impaling me through the head when Gaara came in and saved me. Even Gaara couldn't kill him, though. He tried the Desert Coffin jutsu a bunch of times, but the guy wouldn't die. He even tried creating a sinkhole and dragging Kimimaro over two hundred meters underground, but he _still_ survived. He was about to land a killing blow on us when some illness killed him... But I was still left pretty beat up, as you can see." I said, scowling. "What about you?"

"This guy I fought could split into two different people. He also was able to meld with people, and did that with me. I managed to get him out of my body by stabbing myself and thus him. Thankfully, Akashia got Akamaru and I out of there... but they caught up with us. Kankurou took care of him, though." Kiba said, and I nodded.

"Seems like the Sand Siblings saved our asses, eh?" I said with a smile, and he nodded. "Anyways, I need to go see Naruto. He was utterly convinced that guy would kill me... He was pretty strong." I sighed, standing up. Akashia looked at me, and I sighed again. "You can stay, Akashia. Don't worry." I said with a hint of amusement before leaving the room. "Thanks again for helping her, Hana!" I called as I shut the door, walking down the hallway.

* * *

"Hey." I called as I approached the three sand siblings the next day. I was still only wearing the short crimson kimono with the black jacket as an obi sash. My arms, chest, and thighs were wrapped in bandages, and I only wore simple sandals. My shoulder-length crimson hair was tied up in a high ponytail, loose locks of hair framing my face. The three shinobi turned to me, each of them frowning.

"You're Hasu, right?" Temari asked, and I nodded.

"I wanted to thank you guys for helping us out. Everyone would probably be dead if you guys didn't come when you did... I definitely would have been." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Anyways, I wanted to offer you guys a free all you can eat trip to any restaurant you want, on me." I said, and Kankurou brightened up instantly.

"Food? Free? I'm in!" He said immediately, and I smiled lightly. Temari shrugged while Gaara was silent.

"Sure." Temari said, and I nodded.

"Great. Just tell me what type of food you want, and I'll find the best restaurant with that food." I offered with a smile.

"I wouldn't mind sushi." Temari said to her siblings, and Kankurou just nodded.

"All right... Hm..." I thought about which restaurant had the best sushi before deciding. "Follow me." I said with a smile, turning around. The four of us went to one of the most expensive and the best sushi joint in Konoha, quickly taking our seats at a booth and ordering.

"This place looks pretty expensive... Sure you can afford it?" Temari asked, and I nodded. I was sitting beside her, while Gaara and Kankurou sat across from us, Gaara in front of me and Kankurou in front of Temari.

"I've got some money saved up. Besides, I owe you guys my life. I think I can manage a simple meal to repay." I said with a soft smile. "When will you guys be leaving?" I asked curiously.

"Probably tomorrow." Kankurou answered and I frowned.

"I see. Eager to get home?" I inquired, and Temari nodded. "Must be nice."

"Hm?" Temari muttered questioningly.

"To have a place to go home to." I explained calmly, and they frowned.

"Isn't Konoha your home?" Kankurou asked, quickly losing interest as the food arrived. Kankurou dove right into his food. _Oh man... Another Chouji._ I thought wryly.

"To answer your apparently forgotten question, Kankurou, no. Konohagakure isn't my home. I live in a cruddy apartment with just me and my ninken, Akashia." I said, poking at my food.

"If you can't afford a good apartment, how can you afford this?" Gaara inquired calmly, speaking for the first time.

"I didn't say I couldn't afford a good apartment. I just choose to stay in a run down one so I can save up as much ryô from my missions as I can. I can very easily afford this, since it's only a one-time thing. But soon I'll be leaving Konoha, and I'll only have the saved up ryô to keep me on my feet until I can find a good place to live." I said with a shrug, putting some of the sushi in my mouth.

"I don't get it." Kankurou complained as he shoved food in his mouth. "Why not just stay here and get good money?"

"Why would I stay anywhere that isn't and will never be home? I don't belong here, and never will... I don't belong anywhere people are." I said, shrugging. "So one day I'll build a house in the middle of nowhere and will never have to deal with the worlds prejudice again. To do that, I need money. That's the only reason I'm here in Konoha anymore, now that the Sandaime is dead." I said as I bit into another sushi roll, Gaara frowning at me.

"Tch. Why do you think everyone's out to get you?" Kankurou grumbled, and I looked at the bottle of teriyaki sauce, which happened to be glass. Gaara followed my gaze calmly, immediately realizing what I was going to do. I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the bottle, and it floated up. Kankurou and Temari paused in their eating, watching as the bottle harmlessly floated over my tray, tilted so that the sauce flowed out of the bottle onto the wasabi, then floated back into it's place.

"That's why." I said calmly, dipping a piece of sushi into the sauce and wasabi before eating it.

"Oh." Kankurou grunted simply before returning to his food.

"Oh, Temari." I said, and the blonde looked at me. "I spoke to Shikamaru earlier. I'm impressed just hearing about how you fight. I would love it if I could spar with you some time." I said with a smile, and she blinked at me.

"What about me?" Kankurou grumbled, and I laughed.

"We'd be at a never ending standstill. Both of us fight with attack only." I said, and Temari frowned at me.

"If you only use offensive attacks, you're left with no defense." Temari said, and I nodded.

"I know. That's why I almost never go into fights without Akashia, and whenever I do, ninety-nine percent of the time I walk out injured. Akashia defends me from anyone who gets past my attacks. When I went into battle against Kimimaro, I knew that he would probably kill me and I'd only delay him. That's why I made sure Akashia was elsewhere when I did that, so she wouldn't get killed trying to protect me." I said, and Kankurou rolled his eyes.

"Sheesh. You and Gaara would be great teammates. Him with the defending, you with the attacking." Kankurou grumbled, and I blinked at him before laughing.

"Maybe so, but that'd never happen." _Even our abilities are compatible. Sand and glass..._ I thought with a wry smile as I continued to eat. "What is Sunagakure like?" I asked curiously, setting my chopsticks down and leaning back.

"It's in one of the hottest places in the shinobi world, but it's also very dry so it doesn't feel quite as hot as it really is. Since it's in the high desert, the temperature changes severely at night so it gets very cold. Are you done eating?" Temari asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I am. Why?" I asked.

"You barely touched your food." Temari explained, and I shrugged.

"I can't eat much still... I was injured on a mission last week, and I haven't completely recovered yet. Anyways, that sounds nice. In the Land of Water, the temperature changes and fluctuates drastically. It could be burning up one day, and the next it'll be freezing cold. It was completely unpredictable." I said with a small laugh.

"How do you know that?" Kankurou asked, and I looked at him.

"I was born in the Land of Water, and the woman who took me in raised me in Kiri." I explained.

"What about your parents?" Temari asked.

"Abandoned me before I learned to walk. Kankurou, stop looking at me like that." I said with amusement. He was giving me puppy eyes. "I assume you want more food. Here." I laughed, handing him my quarter eaten tray of sushi.

"Thank you!" He said, immediately digging in.

"Still sure you can pay for this?" Temari joked, and I laughed.

"Don't worry. I pay for Chouji's meals sometimes." I said with a smile. I leaned towards Temari until our shoulders were touching, and held my hand to her ear. "He's a little anti-social, isn't he?" I whispered quietly to her, and she seemed to pick up immediately that I was talking about Gaara.

"With his past, can you blame him?" Temari whispered back.

"I don't know his past, but I can guess. No, I can't blame him..." I whispered.

"Well, he's getting better..." Temari whispered, and we straightened up. "Didn't you say you broke a rib when you hit the sand?" Temari asked me in a normal volume voice.

"Ah... Yeah." I glanced at Kankurou, seeing his confused face. "The guy Gaara and I were fighting threw me so hard into a wall of sand Gaara had made that I went through it." I said, wincing at the memory. "But Tsunade-sama healed the rib for me, but decided not to heal the rest of my wounds." I said with a shrug.

"Why wouldn't she heal your other injuries?" Gaara asked with a frown.

"Punishment for me chasing after the team even though I was told not to." I said with a laugh. "Not that I care. It's just a few scratches... Except this one." I said, pointing to my right shoulder, which I'd been trying not to move too much. "This one hurts. The enemy nearly impaled my shoulder. Would have if I hadn't jumped away." I said nonchalantly. "But either way, it was worth going. Naruto would have probably been seriously hurt or killed, and Sasuke would have gotten away sooner... Are you finished, Kankurou?" I asked, seeing Gaara and Temari had finished eating.

"Yeah." Kankurou said, and I nodded.

"I'll go pay." I said as I stood up.

"I'll help." Temari offered, but I shook my head.

"Don't worry. I'm a Chuunin, I get better pay." I said, grinning at Kankurou and Temari's surprise, while Gaara simply looked expressionless as usual. I walked away from them, going over towards the counter. I carefully sorted the ryô and handed it to the cashier, who quickly processed it.

"Thank you for dining here, ma'am." He said formally as he handed me the change.

"Thank you for feeding us." I said with a smile, and he nodded at me. I walked back to the table, slipping the change into my pocket. "All right. It's paid for." I smiled lightly as the three siblings stood up. The four of us made our way outside of the restaurant, stopping on the street. "I'm glad I asked you guys for lunch." I said with a smile, shaking Temari and Kankurou's hand. Somehow I knew Gaara wouldn't shake hands. I winced, putting a hand on my stomach area as I felt a jolt of pain. "I'll see you guys off tomorrow, then. For now, I need to go speak to Tsunade-sama." I said with a smile, bowing to them before turning around to leave.

_

* * *

_

"Always the adventurer, Hasu." A woman with dark blue hair and bright green eyes looked at a ten year old Hasu.

_"Life wouldn't be any fun any other way." Hasu laughed, and the woman laughed back._

_"Hasu, why don't you want to stay in one place?" The woman asked curiously._

_"Because, Okaa-chan. Shinobi, especially Jounin like me, die all the time. Most die young, without a chance of marrying, settling down, having kids, getting a house, raising them to be shinobi... It's not right, but it won't change. Ever. I don't want to be someone who gets killed on a probably meaningless mission and loses all chances to get their dreams. I don't want anyone to miss out on that." Hasu said, holding her arms out towards the sky. The two were standing on a large cliff over looking the ocean, the sun setting in the distance._

_"So you want to see the world before you die?" The woman guessed, and Hasu nodded._

_"I do. I would love to do that. Some day, I'll leave Kiri. I'll go to the Land of Fire, first... Maybe the Land of Snow. From there I'll just go wherever I want!" Hasu said cheerfully. "And along the way, I'll help people. If someone's in trouble, I'll fight for them. If I have to, I'll die for them."_

_"But why? Why would you die for someone when you want to see the world before you die?" The woman asked, confused._

_"Because. Everyone should have the chance to live their life to the fullest. Just like I'm entitled to it... and I'd rather give up my chance then let other people lose theirs." Hasu said calmly._

_"It's so strange... Most people in Kiri are heartless, and cruel... but you're so loving and understanding. But if you go around the world, you'll never settle down and start your own family!" The woman said with a laugh, and Hasu looked at the sun._

_"No. Somewhere along the way, I'll find the person I want to spend my life with. I'll know as soon as I see him. When I do, I'll follow him wherever he goes, even if he never goes anywhere. I'll be happy wherever he is, because I'll love him more then any silly dream. I'll never leave him, and would give my life to protect him. He'll be my home. Hopefully, he'll love me the same way." Hasu laughed, smiling brightly. _

_"What will you do if he dies, Hasu?" The woman asked._

_"Then I'll give him the best funeral ceremony, one that would rival a Kages. I'll bury him with his favorite things, and then I'll spend all my free time every day at his grave, telling him how much I miss him, and probably crying all over the stone. Then I'll live for the both of us, and one day, after I'm satisfied with my life, I'll join him." Hasu said, still smiling happily though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. The woman stared at Hasu before smiling._

_"Don't worry, Hasu. You'll find him, and he'll love you more then you'll ever know. He'll never leave your side, and won't die until you can both go together." The woman said._

_"Yeah. You're right. Hey, maybe he'll have crimson hair too." Hasu joked, and the woman laughed._

_"I haven't seen a single person yet with crimson hair. Keep dreaming, Hasu." The woman laughed, and Hasu laughed as well._

_"Yeah. Who else in the world has purple eyes? Purple _pupils_ as well, for that matter." Hasu laughed._

_"Probably no one. You're just one big bundle of weird." The woman grinned. "But I love you for it."_

_"I love you too. I won't leave you. Promise."_

I snapped my eyes open, flinging the sheets off me and sitting up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed so they were on the floor. I hung my head, my loose crimson hair curtaining around my face as I breathed heavily, my hands clutching the sides of the mattress tightly. Small beads of cold sweat tickled my body. _Damn it... Why did I dream of that... Why of her?_ I thought frantically, tears slipping from my eyes into my lap as I hung my head. _Why, after all this time?_ I asked myself as a small, mostly silent sob escaped my lips, my chest jerking with the movement. Akashia shifted from where she had been sleeping on the bed, inching towards me.

_Why now?_ I let out another sob, and Akashia lightly put her head in my lap, looking up at me with her ice blue eyes as she let out a concerned whine. _Dammit..._ I thought tearily as I tried to get my emotions under control. I looked up to see the sun was rising. Hesitantly, I rubbed Akashia's muzzle before slipping out from under her head. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, quickly slipping out of the sleeping robe and into the crimson kimono, my bandages covering my bare chest, waist, hips, thighs, and arms.

"I'm going to speak with Tsunade-sama... I'm sorry Akashia, but you should get started on saying your goodbyes to the other ninken around here." I said quietly before leaving the apartment, leaving the door open for Akashia to leave. I didn't notice the sand stirring on the ground as I left. I made my way to the Hokage tower quickly, reaching it in less then thirty minutes. I knocked on the door, wondering if the Godaime would even be awake.

"Enter." I heard her call from inside, immediately walking in and shutting the door behind me. "What's going on, Hasu?" Tsunade asked, and I pulled my hitai-ate from my pocket, staring at it. "Hasu?" Tsunade questioned, walking in front of me. I let out a sigh, looking up at the busty woman and holding out my hitai-ate.

"I quit, Tsunade-sama." I said quietly, and Tsunade frowned at me.

"...Why?" She demanded.

"...I made a promise to someone, Tsunade-sama... I have to fulfill it, and to do that, I need to leave. Probably permanently." I said with a sigh.

"You also made a promise to Konoha when you joined us, Hasu." Tsunade said sternly, and I nodded at her.

"Yes, I did. I intend to stay loyal to Konoha as well, though I won't be here. I will never betray the trust this village has placed in me. However, I need to leave, Tsunade-sama." I said seriously, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"If you are going to, I can't stop you.. However, you aren't technically a citizen of the Land of Fire." She reminded me sternly.

"I know. I'll probably be leaving the Land of Fire all together... I'm not sure where I'll go, though." I said with a shrug.

"All right... You're always welcome in Konohagakure, Hasu. So long as you remain loyal to us... You've done more then enough for us to trust you." Tsunade said, and I bowed to her.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. I owe the Sandaime greatly for allowing me here in the first place... I will remain loyal to Konoha. As far as I'm concerned, you all are my second family. If you ever need anything, I will return. Even if only temporary... As soon as I find a place to stay, I'll inform you so you may contact me if needed." I said seriously, and Tsunade nodded.

"You'll be missed, Hasu... Spend as much time as you need to say your farewells." Tsunade said, turning around and walking towards her desk.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama..." I said quietly, leaving the room.

* * *

Later in the day, I walked towards the gate leading out of Konoha. I wore my crimson kimono with the black jacket folded and wrapped around it like an obi. On my hands I wore my black, fingerless gloves with plates on the top of them, and I wore my black shinobi sandals. I had no hitai-ate, and wore bandages instead of the usual fishnet bodysuit under my clothes, as my wounds were still in the process of healing. I also had an over the shoulder cloth bag, which held my small amount of possessions. At my side was Akashia, who was looking around and taking in every detail like it was the last time she ever would be able to, which it probably was.

When we reached the gate, Shikamaru was already there, the three sand siblings in front of him. "Hey there, Shikamaru." I said with a grin as I walked up behind him. He looked over his shoulder at me curiously.

"Oh. Hey." Shikamaru greeted.

"I hope you guys weren't planning on leaving without saying goodbye to me." I said with a smile to the siblings.

"Tch... Maybe if you weren't taking your sweet time." Kankurou complained, and I pouted at him.

"Oh, come on. I've had myself a busy day. I haven't even sat down since five in the morning." I whined.

"Yeah... But we need to get going." Temari sighed.

"I understand. Sorry I didn't get here earlier... Have a safe trip back home. I'll be sure to come visit some time." I said with a smile, and the three of them turned and started walking away after saying goodbye. I watched their retreating forms until they were out of hearing range. _I know what I felt... Maybe..._ I stared at Gaara's back. _It must be... _I decided, sighing.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked, looking at me.

"Ah... Nothing." I said, adjusting the bag on my back before walking forward out the gate. "Hey! Wait up!" I shouted to the siblings.

"Oi! Where are you going?" Shikamaru called after me, and I turned around and grinned at him, walking backwards.

"I'm going home." I said cheerfully with a happy smile.

* * *

**Yes, the 'Part I' chapters were few, but that was because I wanted to focus on Hasu during 'Part II'. 'Part I' chapters weren't supposed to be many, and they basically only were to explain what Hasu had done during her time in Konoha.**


	5. Chapter 4

**This chapter is 2 2/3 years later, after the time skip in Naruto. Basically, now Hasu is in Sunagakure and the time setting is Shippuden, a.k.a Part II of the Manga. Please review, I really appreciate it when you do. It cheers me up and makes me want to post quicker... Not that I'm not already updating quicker then most people do XD**

**Disclaimer: I own Akashia and Hasu. And all the crazy stuff Hasu does and says.**

* * *

"It's so hot!" I whined loudly as I laid sprawled out on the couch. I was fifteen years old, wearing my shoulder-length crimson hair loosely. I had a sleeveless black turtleneck, thin shirt on, the edges of the shirt bordered by dark purple that matched my eyes. I wore long black pants, and black shinobi sandals. I had black, fingerless gloves that reached just under my elbows, metal plates on the tops of my hands. Around my left bicep was a dark purple Sunagakure hitai-ate. I was probably the only person on the world who could say they'd been shinobi of three different nations.

"You should be used to it by now!" Kankurou growled at me.

"Yeah? Well, after almost three years, I _still_ can't believe it's this damn hot here. Someone tell the creator of this world the air conditioning is broken!" I shouted before huffing in defeat.

"Stop yelling!" Kankurou shouted even louder then I had. I looked at Gaara pleadingly.

"Tell the stupid people to shut up." I whined at him, but he simply sat on the opposite end of the couch from me, doing exactly what he'd been doing. Paperwork. I let out a sigh, sitting up on the couch. I scooted over to Gaara's side, taking the stack of papers and splitting it in half, setting one half in front of me. "I'll help..." I said as I started filling it out. I had come to Suna with Gaara and the siblings nearly three years ago, and it was easily the best decision I'd ever made. Nothing had happened romantically between Gaara and me, but I fell in love with him very quickly.

After the first few weeks in Suna, I'd discovered Akashia had mated with one of the Inuzuka's dogs. After finding out she was carrying, I made one of the toughest decisions of my life. I sent Akashia to Konoha to be with the Inuzuka Clan. Hana had agreed to take her in as her own and her family agreed to raise the puppies and train them, sending me information and updates every other week. Akashia had delivered three healthy puppies, two males and a female. It explained why Akashia had been so protective of Akamaru when he was injured a few days before we left Konoha.

Akashia was still with the Clan in Konoha, raising her puppies with the father. Because I'd lost all means of defense in battles, I started training with Gaara regularly. I was basically his bodyguard, and he was mine. He'd give me defense while I helped him fight. To say I was sad without Akashia around would be an understatement. Even now, two and a half years later, I was still depressed every time I woke up in the morning to find she wasn't there waiting for me. My entire life, Akashia was the only one who knew every detail about me and still trusted and loved me, never leaving my side for more then a few hours.

Every once in a while, I would even cry about it because I missed her so much, but I was still happy during the day when I was with the siblings. Every month, I would leave Suna and go to the mountains. I would climb the same mountain each time, trying different routes without using any chakra unless I slipped. I'd camp out on the top of the mountain for the night, then return to Suna. During my time in Suna, I was made a Jounin, a rank I was glad to have once more. The only people in Konoha I kept in touch with was Hana and Tsunade.

When Tsunade heard I'd come to Suna, she wasn't pleased. I assured her my loyalties were no reason for concern, as Suna and Konoha were allies. She responded with a single question. What will I do if Suna and Konoha war? A question that, after nearly three years, I'd yet to find the answer to. I frowned as I heard Kankurou leave the room, leaving Gaara and I in the room alone. I glanced at the clock to see it was already one in the morning. The past month, I'd gotten little sleep, so Gaara and I often spent time together during the nights while everyone was asleep. _I guess tonight's activities will consist of paperwork._ I thought irritably, though I didn't really mind.

"I don't suppose there are more stacks in the office?" I asked, and Gaara nodded.

"There are." He said, and I sighed.

"Man... Most of this paperwork is because of the Daimyo... We should really try to kill him." I said nonchalantly, and Gaara frowned disapprovingly at me. "What? I said _try_ to kill him. Maybe an attempt on his life will make him see just how much he needs us around." I said in my defense.

"Maybe." Gaara said, and I let out a small laugh.

"Maybe we should do what Tsunade always does. Get your underlings to do the work." I joked, and Gaara looked at me.

"I thought that's what you were for." He said, and I gaped at him.

"Did the ever stoic Kazekage just make a joke?" I teased with a grin, but he simply looked at me blankly before turning to his paperwork once more. "Ah... you did. I knew it." I laughed, returning to my own work. "Hey... Look at this." I said, picking up the paper. I leaned towards Gaara so our shoulders were almost touching, holding a piece of paper in front of him. He looked at it, frowning.

"A meeting in the early hours? Strange..." Gaara murmured.

"Yeah. Today's early hours." I sighed, setting the paper back down. "I wonder why Yûra wants an advisory council meeting..." I wondered aloud with a frown.

"I'll find out in a few hours." Gaara said calmly as he continued with the paperwork. I suppressed a yawn, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it of my drowsiness.

_

* * *

_

I was holding Gaara's unmoving body in my arms, sobbing. Around me was an obliterated Sunagakure, burning corpses and screams of pain surrounding me, pressing in on me. I let out a strangled cry of sorrow as I clung to Gaara's corpse. "Gaara! Gaara! Please wake up! Wake up!" I sobbed against his body.

_"Why didn't you save us?" Kankurou's voice demanded from beside me. I raised my tear drenched face from Gaara's corpse, finding Kankurou's ghost glaring hatefully at me. "You had the power. Why didn't you use it? Why didn't you save us!" Kankurou shouted angrily. "What gives you the right to live when you could have died to save us! Why do you get to live, when we're dead!" Kankurou screeched at me, and I set Gaara's corpse down, pulling my knees to my chest. I buried my face in my knees, holding my hands over my ears as I cried and cried, Kankurou screaming at me the entire time..._

I lurched from the couch I'd apparently fallen asleep on with a scream. I looked around fearfully, my heart pounding in my chest. "What's wrong!" Kankurou shouted frantically as he ran into the room. I took heavy breaths, trying to calm myself down.

"D-dream." I breathed out as Kankurou sat down at my side.

"If your dreams are bad enough to make you wake up screaming, it's no wonder you haven't been getting any sleep..." Kankurou sighed as I wiped my brow on my sleeve.

"Where is Gaara?" I asked between heavy breaths.

"Gaara left hours ago to attend the meeting, and has stayed at the Kazekage building since." Kankurou said. "Sheesh... You sleep in until past lunch, and wake up screaming your head off." He complained, and I lightly smacked him on the back of the head, standing up shakily.

"Damn... These dreams are bizzare as hell." I muttered, turning towards the door. "I'm going to go help Gaara with his work." I said with a yawn, walking out of the house. I made my way towards the Kazekage building before pausing when I noticed Gaara was jumping from a building top into the air, his sand chasing a bird. I frowned, looking closer to see there was something on the bird... probably a someone. _Well great. I wake up, and three minutes later Gaara gets in a fight... with a bird._ I grumbled, watching as Gaara floated on a cloud of sand.

I froze when I realized Gaara was summoning a massive amount of sand from the desert, realizing that he was fighting someone damn strong if he was doing that. _Shit!_ I thought, a thick sheet of glass appearing at my feet. The glass was lifted into the air, lifting me with it. I watched as I floated quickly through the air as Gaara created massive claws out of the sand, trying to corner the enemy. I saw some strange birds fly towards Gaara as I floated to his side. "I got this." I informed him, the birds being covered and trapped by globes of glass in an instant, a few yards from us. I watched in surprise as the birds exploded in the glass, shattering it. Immediately, Gaara was surrounded in a globe of sand, and I had a sheet of glass in front of me.

The glass shards bounced off me harmlessly, and I made the sheet of glass I was standing on float over Gaara's sand orb. Lightly, I set my feet on the sand, the glass disappearing. The sand orb would usually spring spikes out to pierce anyone who got close to it, but Gaara and I had trained to do this. I narrowed my eyes as I watched the giant claws of sand surround the enemy, encasing it in a massive globe. Gaara's eye of sand floated near my shoulder, both of us watching as the enemy escaped from the sand trap. In an instant, sand and my glass flew out and grabbed his arm, destroying it as Gaara used the desert coffin jutsu on it.

"What the hell is with this guy!" I wondered aloud as he seemed completely unaffected by the loss of his arm, a weird clay owl summoned or something, catching him. Gaara's sand globe opened up a bit, the eye disappearing. "Gaara, is he Akatsuki?" I asked hurriedly as I launched glass towards the enemy, who simply dodged them with ease. I moved the glass to chase him, but the damn blonde freak kept dodging.

"Yes... Be careful." Gaara said emotionlessly.

"Got it." I said, watching as the enemy grabbed something. "His clay things blow up, right?" I asked.

"Obviously." Gaara replied emotionlessly.

"Just double checking..." I muttered as I saw the strange thing the enemy had grabbed expanded in size in an instant. It fell from his grasp, plummeting towards the town. "Gaara!" I shrieked in alarm as I desperately created a massive, extremely thick layer of glass over Suna. I knew the explosion would shatter the glass, but I'd rather have the shinobi hurt by shards of glass then giant-ass bomb of complete and utter destruction. The bomb impacted with the glass, creating a huge explosion that I could feel even from the heights Gaara and I were at. A thin layer of sweat coated my body at the chakra it'd taken to create the dome.

Relief washed over me when I saw Gaara had created a barrier of sand under the glass, catching all the shards as well as ensuring protection from the explosion. Panic quickly followed. _Shit. That took almost all my chakra, and probably most of Gaara's as well..._ I froze when I noticed a clay bird had gotten against the opening in the dome of sand I was on and Gaara was in. The bird exploded, and in an instant, the hole was closed and there was sand around me, protecting me from the blow as well. _Fuck..._ I thought as I kneeled against the sand globe, breathing heavily.

All of a sudden, the globe shook as I heard explosions going off inside them, knocking me off it. "Gaara!" I cried out in a panic, fearing for him. I barely had the chakra to create glass underneath me, catching me before I fell more then a few feet. I saw the sand globe falling away, Gaara limp in the air. As he fell, I knew I didn't have the chakra to catch him. The sand barrier started moving away quickly. _Gaara..._ "Gaara!" I shrieked in fear as he fell. I felt the glass holding me starting to disappear as I didn't have the chakra to keep it up. "No! Don't leave!" I cried out as the enemy caught his limp form in the tail of his clay bird. "I can't lose you." I called tearfully as the glass under me disappeared, sending me falling head first for the ground.

I saw Kankurou's chakra strings attach themselves to my body, jerking me towards him. Instead of impacting with the ground, I slammed into the puppeteer. He caught me as best he could, and I felt the dampness of tears on my cheeks, slipping from my eyes. "Gaara." I breathed out before I lost consciousness due to lack of chakra.

* * *

"How long has she been like this?" Temari asked quietly, looking at the unconscious and completely unmoving, other then the slight rise and fall of her chest, Hasu.

"Since the attack. She used almost all of her chakra protecting the village when the enemy sent a huge explosive at the village..." Kankurou said weakly.

"What? Damn it! She knows her powers aren't made for that..." Temari cursed softly. The shinobi from Konoha had already left, and Hasu hadn't stirred once since losing consciousness.

"She wanted to protect us... According to the healers, she didn't use all her chakra, so she'll wake up... Probably in the next day or two." Kankurou sighed tiredly.

"Why wasn't she here when the Konoha shinobi came here?" Temari asked with a frown.

"Only Tsunade-sama and some Inuzuka Clan girl knows she here... I doubt she'd want them to find out like this." Kankurou pointed out.

"Damn... What a lovely birthday present." Temari said with a sigh of her own, brushing stray locks away from Hasu's face.

"It's her birthday?" Kankurou asked, and Temari nodded.

"That's why I wanted to return today... Then I heard about Gaara and you... What were you thinking, Kankurou?" Temari snapped, and Kankurou scowled at her.

"She almost died, Temari. She fell from the sky after her powers gave out, and nearly died. I caught her with my chakra strings and tugged her body so she hit me instead of the ground. She was crying when she hit me... He's our brother, Temari. I had to go after him." Kankurou said, and Temari sighed.

"...I know..." Temari said quietly, looking at Hasu.

"The thing was, even though Gaara was being taken away, sand was starting to form under where she would have landed. He must have still been somewhat conscious when she fell..." Kankurou sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "They'd better bring him back..."

"Baki and I are going to set up teams to follow the Konoha shinobi. I'll include both of you in them, so you'd both better recover by tomorrow." Temari said seriously, and Kankurou nodded. "Sleep. I need to go help Baki..." Temari said as she left the room.

_

* * *

_

"Damn it!" A male voice cursed, a ten year old Hasu standing beside him, both of them in fighting stances.

_"Where are they coming from?" Hasu asked worriedly._

_"I don't know... But they are trying to surround us." The man said, and Hasu nodded._

_"I can see that... Alright. Back to back?" Hasu suggested, and the man nodded, turning around. The pair pressed their backs against each other, and Hasu started making quick hand signs. "Katon! Karyû Endan!" Hasu called as she inhaled, breathing out a long stream of very hot flames from her mouth like a flamethrower. She turned her head as she exhaled, burning hundreds of the enemies at once. She breathed in again, the flames disappearing from her mouth. "They were idiots to think they could fight Kirigakure's shinobi." _

_"You're probably the only one in Kiri who can even use fire..." The man grumbled._

_"Whatever works... You can't use any water jutsu's here, can you?" Hasu asked, seeing there was no water anywhere._

_"I can use the one that's like yours... Suiton! Mizurappa!" He growled, and Hasu heard him inhale. As he breathed out, massive amounts of water gushed from his mouth like Hasu's fire jutsu had down, easily taking out half the enemies. Hasu saw something flying through the air towards her companion, freezing. Just before the extremely fast senbon flying at his head impacted, a sheet of glass caught it, saving his life. "...What...?" The man gasped out, his eyes wide. Hasu ran from where she's stood behind him, creating a massive amount of glass shards around her._

_She glares at the enemies around her, and the glass shards flew through the air, killing or harming the enemies enough to keep them down. "You... You're one of _them_." The man hissed at Hasu, and she turned to face him with a scowl._

_"Why are you looking at me like that? I just saved your life!" Hasu shouted at him._

_"You're just as much an enemy as they were!" The man shouted, throwing at kunai at her head. It slammed into summoned glass, bouncing off it and hitting the ground._

_"What is your problem! I didn't do anything!" Hasu yelled at him, furious for what he was doing._

_"Fine... If I can't kill you, I'll just tell everyone so they can!" He growled angrily, immediately dashing towards Kirigakure. Hasu looked at the ground, tears springing in her eyes. She couldn't understand it. The next Mizukage herself had two kekkai genkai's. Why was it so horrible for her to have one, especially when she only used it to save someone?_

_

* * *

_

"Okaa-chan!" A ten year old Hasu cried out in alarm as she walked into the house. A woman with dark blue hair was on the ground beside a black wolf and it's puppies... all dead. "Okaa-chan! No!" Hasu screamed, launching herself at her adoptive mother, who had bled out from a stab to the chest. "Why? Why would they do this to you?" Hasu sobbed as she kneeled beside her 'mother', her tears falling onto the corpse. "It's not right! Why would they kill you?" Hasu asked brokenly as she cried.

_A soft whimper came from the area with the dead puppies, causing Hasu to snap her head up. She inched towards the dead pups, hearing another whimper. Gently, Hasu lifted one of the gray puppies and set it down, seeing a white puppy was squirming under all its dead littermates. The puppy let out a squeak of alarm as Hasu picked it up. Of the five puppies in the litter, all but this one was gray, as the mother had black fur and the sire had white. This female puppy was the only one with white fur, it's eyes a bright ice blue._

_"Stop that... People of Kiri aren't supposed to cry, little guy." Hasu said as her own tears rolled down her cheeks. The puppy wiggled in her grasp as Hasu held it to her chest, snuggling against the ten year old. Hasu let out a small sob. "This isn't right... Why did you all get punished for me having a Kekkei Genkai? It isn't fair..." Hasu sobbed. "I can't run... Not with you being so young." Hasu said tearily to the small puppy. "I owe it to you to train you and protect you... I'll stay for two years. Then we'll leave as soon as you're full grown." Hasu promised the small animal. "I won't let you get hurt, I swear... I'll protect you."_

_

* * *

_

A thirteen year old Hasu looked at Akashia, her eyes wide. "You mated, Akashia?" Hasu questioned softly.

_"..Yes... and I'm with pups." Akashia said, hanging her head as though ashamed._

_"...Why didn't... Why didn't you tell me before we left? I wouldn't have gone if I knew..." Hasu said softly._

_"I know. That's why I didn't tell you... You would have been unhappy if you didn't leave. I didn't want you unhappy." Akashia barked quietly, her black tipped white tail swishing lightly across the ground._

_"Akashia... You mean more to me then anything else." Hasu said, crouching in front of the white wolf._

_"Not for much longer." Akashia barked softly, looking towards the sand siblings._

_"Akashia, no matter how much I love anyone, you're the only companion I could ever want..." Hasu said, sighing. "Though, I suppose that's over now..." She said, standing up._

_"What do you mean?" Akashia asked fearfully._

_"Go back to Konoha, Akashia." Hasu said softly. "Go back to your mate, and start your family... Go to Hana, all right? I'll send a letter letting her know what is happening... You'll be happy there." Hasu said with a sad expression._

_"But I'm happy with you." Akashia barked._

_"Not for much longer." Hasu said, repeating Akashia's previous words. "Go be with your mate. He's your family now." Hasu said quietly._

_"You'll always be my family." Akashia whined out, and Hasu smiled sadly at her._

_"I know, and the same applies to you. Now go on. Get." Hasu said, nudging the wolf away. Akashia looked at her sadly. "Go." Hasu said with a small smile. Akashia licked her hand quickly before turning and bounding away. Hasu watched her retreating form sadly. "Be happy." Hasu whispered, knowing that Akashia wouldn't be if she stayed with her. Hasu stood up, brushing off her knees. She turned and walked towards the waiting siblings, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. "All right. I'm ready... Let's go." Hasu said, ignoring the tears, and so everyone else did as well. _

_Hasu felt sand gently caress her shoulder, and let out a sad smile._

_

* * *

_

"What! No fair!" A fifteen year old Hasu shouted. Gaara just looked at her expressionlessly. If anyone had seen what they were doing on his desk, they would probably die of shock... or laughter. They had cleaned the desk off and sat cross-legged on it, on opposite sides of each other. On the center of the desk, between them, was a deck of cards. They both had cards in their hands, and Hasu was pouting. Gaara only had one card, while she had four. "Damn it..." Hasu grumbled, grabbing one of the cards from the deck, giving her five card. "Damn it!" She shouted, grabbing another one. She flipped that one over, and set it on top of the second, upturned deck of cards.

_Gaara calmly set his card of matching suit on top of the one Hasu had just set down. Hasu gaped at him before pouting. "I think you cheat."_

_"How could I have cheated?" Gaara asked expressionlessly._

_"I haven't figured that part out yet. I'm sure you cheated, though." Hasu said matter-of-factly as she gathered all the cards together. "All right... This time we're playing a new game." Hasu said, and Gaara watched as she bent over the side of the desk, opening the drawer while upside down. She pulled out two bottles of sake, setting them on the table, one in front of Gaara and one in front of her. _

_"Since when have I had sake in my desk?" Gaara asked, raising a non-existing eyebrow at her._

_"Since I put it there." Hasu said, sticking her tongue out at him. "All right... Here's what we're going to do. We're playing Go Fish." Hasu grinned. "But the catch is, if you ask for fours, and I have them, I hand over the cards then swallow four mouthfuls of this." I held up my bottle of sake. "The same for you." I said, and Gaara nodded. From there, let's just say Gaara found out quite a bit about me, and I found out he basically acted the same drunk as he did sober._


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but Hasu and Akashia... and a few other randomers who appear randomly and then randomly dissapear. I wonder why they are called randomers?**

**Anyways, fair warning to you all. I _hate _this chapter, chapter 6, and chapter 7. I don't even know why I wrote them like I did, but I can't think of anything to replace them with. I _really hate_ them, though. They just seem way to dramatic and don't make enough sense. Anyways, let me know if I'm being too hard on myself, or if they really do suck as bad as I think. Thanks to those who keep reading my story, and please review. I really do appreciate it when you do.**

* * *

When I regained my consciousness, the first thing I noticed was I felt like passing right back out I was so tired. I weakly opened my pupiless-looking purple eyes. I looked around to see I was in the Sunagakure hospital. I rolled over, letting out a gasp and shudder of pain as I did, freezing while on my side. "Please don't move." One of the medics said quickly, rushing to my side.

"Ugh... What happened?" I asked, frowning. I felt like all my muscles had razorblades against them, and every time I moved them, they'd get cut.

"You have been unconscious for a week... You used almost all of your chakra to protect the village from an attack." The medic said softly, a hint of respect in his voice. My eyes widened as I recalled the events.

"Gaara! Where is he? Is he okay?" I asked quickly, sitting up and ignoring the pain as I did.

"Please stop moving." The medic said urgently. "You don't have the strength to yet... Kazekage-sama is still missing, but all our jounin's are recovering him... If it went well, they should be returning soon..." The medic said softly, setting a hand on my back.

"Uhg..." I shuddered at the pain from moving. _I can't believe my muscles are this sore just from chakra overuse... Note to self. Never overuse chakra again._ "Please... go see if there's any news..." I said to the medic, and he nodded. Hesitantly, he pulled his arm from my back, which was helping me sit upright, and I let my body drop back against the bed.

"I'll be back shortly..." He said quickly, rushing out of the room. _You'd better be safe, Gaara..._ I thought worriedly. I noticed I was still wearing my shinobi clothing, a black sleeveless shirt that covered the bottom half of my neck. The black shirt was bordered by dark purple that matched my eyes, and I wore long black pants. I wasn't wearing my hitai-ate, my black shinobi sandals, or my black fingerless gloves, and they were laying beside the bed neatly folded, along with the dark crimson hair tie I used to tie my hair up. My shoulder length crimson hair was loose as well. "You have good timing." The medic said as he walked back into the room. "They are approaching the gates now." The medic said, and before he could stop me, I forced myself to sit up and flung my legs over the side of the bed.

"Help me up." I said softly, though I said it as a request, holding my arm towards the medic.

"You really shouldn't be moving so soon..." The medic said, but kneeled down by me and threw my arm over his shoulder, slipping his arm around my waist, knowing there was no point in arguing.

"Was.. Was Gaara with them?" I asked hesitantly as we walked out of the hospital with him supporting me.

"Yes." The medic said softly.

"Thank god..." I breathed out.

"We owe you are Kazekage-sama, Namichi-san." The medic said as we walked towards the gates. "You risked your lives to protect us... You haven't been here long, so few people trusted you. I truly believe you have earned the villages respect." The medic said respectfully.

"That isn't what I want." I said softly, and he looked at me questioningly as we walked. "I want Gaara to be trusted. The only thing I want is for Gaara to be happy, and he will never be if he lives his life hated..." I said tiredly as we entered the long tunnel of the gate.

"You are a kind woman, Namichi-san." The medic said kindly. "The shinobi actually argued over who could go help recover Kazekage-sama... In the end, Baki-san took all of the jounin. Every one of them were more then willing to go, despite the risks... I believe he has earned trust." The medic said, and I nodded. We were halfway through the tunnel, and I looked out to see forms on the opposite side. Immediately, I pulled away from the medic and dashed forward. "Namichi-san! You will hurt yourself!" The medic called after me, and I heard him chasing me.

Ignoring the pain in my muscles, I ran through the tunnel. I saw a massive group of Jounin, but my eyes were on one person, and him alone. As I ran out of the tunnel and onto the sands, still barefoot, most of the group looked at me, including Gaara. Without thinking, I flung myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck. He tensed with surprise as I hugged him tightly, but relaxed after a moment. "God damn it, Gaara. Don't you dare do that again!" I scolded him, my face buried in his shoulder. I was almost positive he could feel the dampness of my tears.

"Namichi-san!" The medic shouted as he came out of the tunnel. I winced, feeling my legs slackening from exhaustion. Before they gave out, Gaara hesitantly wrapped his arms around my back, holding me up.

"Hasu? When did you wake up?" Kankurou asked as I heard Temari shooing the Jounin into the tunnel and away.

"Only a few minutes ago. Please, Namichi-san, you need to rest..." The medic said, answering for me. I pulled away from the hug, the medic wrapping his arm around my waist and holding me upright. Gaara was staring at me expressionless, but he seemed more relaxed then usual. I wiped my tears away on my sleeve and smiled lightly at him.

"I'm glad you're safe..." I said softly.

"Damn woman!" Kankurou shouted accusingly at me, completely ruining the moment. I looked at him with a frown.

"What?" I asked, and Kankurou scowled at me.

"You know what!" Temari said angrily. "You know not to do that kind of thing! What were you thinking? It could have killed you! You would be dead if Kankurou didn't save you before you hit the ground!" Temari said, and I frowned at her.

"Would you rather I let the whole village get blown to nothing? I don't like that idea, so I didn't let it happen." I said with a hint of irritation.

"...Wait a second... Hasu?" I heard Sakura's voice, and promptly froze in place. I hadn't noticed the seven Konoha shinobi standing there.

"Hey! It is Hasu!" Naruto said with surprise.

"...Ow..." I muttered under my breath in a pained voice at the throbbing in my body. At this point, the only thing holding me up was the medics arm around my waist, which he seemed to realize.

"Namichi-san, we need to get you back to the hospital... You shouldn't be moving..." The medic said carefully, but I just nodded, biting my lip at the pain in my muscles. I really didn't want to answer any of the Konoha shinobi's questions, either.

* * *

That night, I slept in my own room at the sand siblings house, where I'd lived since coming to Suna. All the Konoha shinobi were also in the house, the males in the spare room while Tenten and Sakura were in Temari's room. Temari was in my room on the spare mattress. Halfway through the night I woke up from a nightmare, and ended up wandering downstairs in my sleeping kimono. I went straight into the kitchen with the lights off, reaching into one of the cabinets and pulling out a bottle of sake. I was only sixteen years old, but I still drank every once in a while, just like the rest of the siblings.

Though, I never saw Gaara drink except for the one time when we played the drinking game. I wasn't even sure he did. I know Kankurou has gotten drunk before, and Temari has drank a little bit in her life. I pulled the top off the bottle, drinking straight from it. After a few sips, I stopped and looked at the bottle, frowning. "If she saw me right now, she's be ashamed..." I said quietly.

"Who?" I looked up to see Kankurou walking into the kitchen, flipping the light on.

"My adoptive mother... Want to drink?" I offered, and Kankurou shrugged.

"Why the hell not? I could use one." He said, and I nodded. I lazily pulled out two sake cups and poured the sake, handing one of the cups to Kankurou. I quickly downed my own, Kankurou doing the same, and then refilled them. "Why are you up?"

"Nightmares." I answered tiredly. "You?"

"Same." Kankurou admitted in a grumble. I sat cross-legged on the kitchen tile, leaning against the counter behind me. Kankurou did the same on the counters opposite of me. There was only a yard of so between us, and I set the bottle of sake between us.

"Damn... This last week sure has sucked..." I said, sighing.

"Yeah. I feel like we've just been screwed over by life." Kankurou grunted, downing another cup of sake.

"Agreed." I said as I followed his example, refilling both our cups. "I don't even know why I feel like such crap... Gaara's alive, the village is safe from harm... Everyone's alive but Chiyo-baasama, and I never even knew her... Why am I so damn depressed?" I wondered aloud.

"We almost lost Gaara. We almost lost you, and I almost died too... This week sucked." Kankurou said, downing another cup.

"Okay, this isn't working." I decided aloud, reaching behind me and grabbing another bottle of sake from the cabinet and setting it in front of Kankurou.

"Now we're talking." Kankurou said with a light grin as he pulled the cap off. I grabbed the bottle of sake we'd been drinking and did the same, taking a few gulps from it.

"Much better." I said, and Kankurou nodded his agreement.

"I still want to know how to keep getting sake without anyone noticing." Kankurou said.

"Well, cuteness gets you a long way. Sorry, but makeup on a guy isn't cute." I said lightly before drinking more of the bottle.

"Yeah? Well creepy-ass pupilless _purple_ eyes ain't cute!" Kankurou retorted.

"Hey, I'm not the one who plays with dolls in battle." I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm not the one with freakin' blood colored hair!" Kankurou grumbled.

"Hey... You're brother has the same hair color." I said, pouting at him.

"Not the point, here." Kankurou said, and we both drank some more sake at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah..." I mumbled.

"Why did you hug Gaara, though?" Kankurou asked, and I frowned at him.

"Cause I was relieved he was alive." I said like it was obvious.

"No shit." Kankurou grunted. "Why were you so relieved?"

"I love him, dumbass." I said, and Kankurou looked at me with a startled expression before downing some more sake, which I did as well.

"Okay... So you love him?" Kankurou asked, and I nodded. "...You might want to tell him that soon."

"Why?" I asked with a frown.

"Cause I don't think I'll be able to look him in the eye without giving it away." Kankurou said, and I laughed at his serious expression.

"I'll keep that in mind." I said, drinking more of the sake. "Ow, damn it... My muscles are sore as hell since I over used my chakra."

"That's why you shouldn't do that." Kankurou said as he downed more sake.

"No shit!" I growled at him.

"Hey, I'm just saying... Maybe you should tell Gaara soon." Kankurou said.

"You already said that... But why?" I asked with a frown, my vision a bit hazy.

"Cause you seriously need to get laid." Kankurou said with a laugh, obviously drunk. Angrily, I lifted my sake bottle to hit him before I paused. After a moments thought, I quickly put it to my lips and drank the small amount that was left in the bottle, then promptly threw it at Kankurou. "Arg!" He shouted as the bottle smacked him on the head, bouncing off and shattering on the floor. "The hell, woman!" Kankurou shouted, jumping to his feet. I jumped to mine as well.

"You are a complete idiotic asshole!" I shouted at him, already having trouble standing upright.

"What'd I do!" Kankurou demanded, seeming to have the same problem as me.

"You insulted me!" I shouted, and Kankurou shook his head.

"No! No, I did not!" He said defensively. "I just gave you advice!" By now, I could hear people moving around upstairs, obviously awoken by our drunked arguing.

"Bad and insulting advice!" I shouted back.

"You lie!" Kankurou yelled accusingly. "I didn't insult you!"

"Yes you did!" I yelled angrily.

"I am almost positive that I know for an almost certain fact that I did _not_ insult you with my non-insulting but apparently insulting advice!" Kankurou said, and I blinked.

"What?" I asked, my hazy mind confused.

"I don't know! But I didn't do anything!" Kankurou shouted as I heard the shinobi in the house wander downstairs where we were.

"You did to!" I yelled back.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"What'd I do!" Kankurou demanded loudly.

"I'm not sure anymore, but it made me mad!" I shouted back.

"Oh yeah? Well I think you did something to make me mad!" Kankurou yelled.

"I hit you with a sake bottle! How would that give you any reason to be mad at me!" I demanded loudly.

"I dunno... I sure would have liked to see that." Kankurou said, laughing slightly. I couldn't help it. I laughed a bit too, sitting back down on the floor.

"What did you do to the kitchen!" Temari's angry shout sounded from the doorway, and Kankurou and I both looked over to see her in the doorway, everyone but Lee, Gai, and Kakashi behind her, looking exhausted.

"He did it." I said, pointing at Kankurou at the same time he said, "She did it," and pointed at me.

"...Are you two drunk?" Temari growled, and I looked at her in shock.

"I am no thing such..." I blinked. "No such thing." I corrected myself, and Temari narrowed her eyes.

"Get out... of the kitchen." She growled slowly.

"...But I'm comfy." I said innocently.

"Out!" Temari shouted, and I pouted at her as Kankurou fled the room. "Fine... If you don't want to leave, clean this up!" Temari growled at me, crossing her arms over her chest. I looked at the broken sake bottle on the floor, and the glass pieces floated up from the ground and over to the trashcan. I looked to the opposite of the room as where Temari and the others were, suddenly feeling extremely sad. "Hasu, get away from the sake." Temari said strictly, but I simply stared at the wall, my shoulders starting to shake slightly as I felt myself starting to cry.

"What the hell is going on?" Tenten mumbled drowsily.

"...Someone go and get Gaara... Let him know that Hasu drank again." Temari sighed tiredly, and I felt my tears drop from my cheeks and hit my hand and the floor. "The rest of you go back to sleep. Go!" Temari ordered seriously before she walked into the kitchen. She crouched in front of me. "Hasu." She said, but I didn't look at her. I just closed my eyes and tried to hold back the tears I was crying for some reason. "Hasu." She said more forcefully, lightly grabbing my chin and turning my head towards her. I opened my eyes, tears slipping from them.

"Why do you do this, Hasu? You know this always happens when you drink." Temari sighed. I didn't answer, simply let out a small sob, wrapping my arms around Temari. Temari sighed again, disagreeing with my drinking.

"Sorry." I cried softly into her shoulder.

"Just tell me why you keep doing this..." Temari said, and I shook my head against her. "Why won't you tell me?" Temari asked, but I just pulled away from her, carefully standing up. Temari stood up as well, following me as I walked out of the room on slightly unsteady feet, tears still rolling down my face. I went into my room, grabbing a small bag and putting a few clothes in it. "Where are you going?" Temari asked.

"Out." I mumbled tiredly as I closed the bag, grabbing my shinobi clothing.

"Uh huh. And for how long?" Temari asked sternly. I started changing in front of her, neither of us caring. We were both women, we'd seen the things before.

"Long as I need." I said quietly, my mind hazy from drinking. I wasn't drunk, but I was past tipsy. Kankurou had more sake then me, and was drunk, though. I tied my shoes on, grabbing my bag.

"And how long is that?" Temari demanded.

"I'll let you know when I figure that out." I said, getting irritated as I walked into the hallway.

"Damn it, Hasu. When will you stop running from your problems?" Temari growled as she followed me.

"I'm not running away from them." I said testily.

"Then what do you call this?" Temari demanded sharply as I grabbed a few bottles of sake and put them in the bag, walking towards the door.

"I call this me being exactly how I was raised to be." I snapped at her, opening the front door. "Alone." I growled, slamming it behind me. I immediately burst into a run, ignoring my protesting muscles.

* * *

"What the hell was she thinking?" Temari fumed as she paced Gaara's office. He was sitting at his desk, calmly watching her.

"She was drinking, Temari. It's fairly clear she _wasn't_ thinking." Kankurou sighed, rubbing his neck. He'd quickly sobered up after Hasu left.

"You were there, Kankurou! Why didn't you stop her? Now we have no clue where she is or how long she'll be gone, or even if she will return in the first place." Temari growled.

"Of course she's going to return." Kankurou said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh really? Did you even hear what she said when she left?" Temari growled, and Kankurou raised an eyebrow. "She said she was being exactly how she was raised to be, alone." Temari spat, and Gaara frowned.

"If she doesn't return for Chiyo-baasama's funeral, we will send out a search for her." Gaara said calmly.

* * *

I was lounging on one of the large mesa's, quite a ways away from Suna. A bottle of sake was in my hand, almost completely drank, and I was barely able to see straight. I was past drunk, and I was crying. I took another swig, wanting to just drown in my tears. Vaguely I wondered when I became so dark and depressed. _I've been this way all this time... I just covered it up and tried to convince myself I was happy... That's why I let myself get drunk every once in a while... It lets me show what I really feel... Tch. I guess that means everyone hates the real me, since they don't like me when I'm like this._ I thought spitefully, taking another swig only to find there wasn't anything left.

I reached for another bottle when I noticed a shadow and froze. "You shouldn't drink all alone... It leaves you wide open." A soft, silky voice sneered. _Shi-_ I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck, and then darkness.


	7. Chapter 6

**Uhg. I seriously hate, hate, hate, hate, _hate_ this chapter and the next one. I'd honestly just skip this crap, but some important stuff happens in the next chapter, after she gets 'rescued'. Anyways, I hope at least some of you enjoy it. If not, then I honestly understand cause this is crap in my opinion. Anyways, I assure you that none of the other chapters are this bad, so please excuse the poorness.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Hasu. Honest. The rest goes to our good friend, Masashi Kishimoto. Also, I'm very thankful for the reviewers. Please keep posting your opinions.**

* * *

Temari chewed her lip nervously. It was two days after Hasu left, and the siblings had just said goodbye to the Konoha shinobi, still dressed in the funeral clothing. "She hasn't returned yet." Temari sighed.

"I noticed." Gaara said emotionlessly.

"I'll gather a party..." Kankurou sighed.

"I will join you." Gaara said, and Kankurou paused before nodding.

"So will I." Temari offered.

"All right, then... We'll just go borrow one of the tracking ninken." Kankurou said, rubbing the back of his head.

* * *

I grimaced as I came to, my head throbbing painfully. I opened my eyes drowsily, and immediately snapped them wide, my tiredness disappearing. "What...?" I wondered aloud. I was in a dark room, a small IV hooked into my arm, a clear liquid being dripped into it. I raised my hand to rub my throbbing head, only to find it was tied at my side to the bed I was on. I jerked my body, quickly realizing all my limbs were in the same state. A piece of metal was clipped around my neck, holding it in place against the table. _How the hell didn't I realize that when I woke!_ I thought, starting to panic.

"Please stop shaking the bed... You're disrupting my studies." I heard an irritated voice say.

"Who... Who's there? Where am I?" I demanded shakily. I heard the man let out a sigh before footsteps started coming my way. "Kabuto?" I blinked in surprise as the man came into view.

"Yes... I'm surprised you recognize me. We only met once." Kabuto said calmly.

"Yeah... When you attacked us." I growled angrily.

"Mm... Yes." Kabuto said. "A sound shinobi witnessed your fight with Kimimaro and reported back to us of your... ability. Unfortunately for you, Orochimaru-sama's interest was caught." Kabuto said, and I frowned in confusion.

"That was almost three years ago..." I said uncertainly.

"Yes... He had me look into your abilities a bit, and then it was just a matter of waiting for the right time to take you." Kabuto said.

"Yes, because you care _so_ much about being discreet." I spat at him angrily, and he frowned at me. I heard a door open somewhere behind me and froze.

"I see she's awake." Orochimaru's voice sounded from behind me. "She's making to much noise... Use the drug." He said to Kabuto.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama..." Kabuto said, grabbing a small back. I watched from the corner of my eye as he lifted the bag of a weird blue liquid and hung it on the IV rack, hooking it to my IV.

"What is that?" I asked, fear filling me as the blue liquid started dripping down the IV and into my veins.

"You'll find out soon, Hasu-chan." Orochimaru said as he stepped in front of me.

"Wh... What do you want with me?" I demanded, hiding my fear as well as I could.

"I want to investigate that little Kekkei Genkai of yours... I haven't met anyone with one like yours before, and I'm intrigued." Orochimaru said with that creepy ass smile of his that sent chills down my spine.

"So in other words, you want to experiment on me and then toss me out when you're done?" I spat harshly.

"Show some respect, girl." Kabuto growled at me, and I glared at him.

"Now, now, Hasu-chan... You should be nice to the person who will be doing 'experiments' as you say. You never know if he might just... forget... to give you pain medicine." Orochimaru purred, and I looked at him, barely concealing my fear, if I even managed to.

"Oh, I'm so going to kill you." I growled.

"What can you do strapped to a table with your powers blocked?" Orochimaru sneered.

"Fine... Then my friends will kill you when they rescue me." I said angrily.

"Hah... No one is coming to save you, girl." Kabuto scoffed, and I felt somewhat disheartened.

"That's right, Hasu-chan... No one is coming to save you. No one cares enough to risk themselves for you. They never will, either... You're just an enemy waiting to hurt them in their eyes. Maybe if you learn to behave, we'll treat you like one of our own, though... Think about that, Hasu-chan, while you wait for the people who will never come." Orochimaru said, and I felt tears in my eyes at his words. _He's just trying to convince you to join him... Don't give in. He's lying. Don't believe him._ I repeated to myself.

* * *

Gaara carefully kneeled down on the sandy mesa, gently touching a small speck of crimson with his finger tip. He pulled his hand away, looking at it. _Blood... It's dried over, but since this is the desert... It's likely only been here a day or two._ He concluded, narrowing his eyes. He glanced at the shattered sake bottle lying a few inches from the blood, then to the bag of Hasu's things. It was simply sitting there, untouched. "Blood." Gaara said aloud to his waiting siblings, who froze at his words.

"Damn..." Kankurou sighed, looking at Temari then to Gaara.

"She must have gotten drunk... They probably hit her from behind when she was too drunk to hear them coming up on her..." Temari said in an angry tone, furious with whoever dared harm the girl who was practically a sister. Gaara narrowed his eyes, lifting up a small, clear object from the ground. Before his siblings could identify it, Gaara had pocketed it and turned to them.

"We aren't giving chase... Temari, we're heading to Konoha. Kankurou, take Ranaru and return to Suna... Inform the elders only that we're going to Konoha, and then follow us. Don't take too long." Gaara said expressionlessly.

"Why Konoha?" Temari asked with a frown.

"This concerns them." Gaara said simply. "Temari and I will be traveling on my sand. We need to get there as soon as possible... Follow as quick as you can." Gaara instructed Kankurou, who nodded. "There isn't any time to gather anything... We're leaving now." Gaara said, narrowing his eyes as a cloud of sand lifted him and Temari up, carrying them at high speeds towards Konohagakure. Kankurou glanced to the small ninken at his feet, sighing.

"Come on, Ranaru..."

* * *

I did figure out quickly what the blue liquid did. It suppressed my chakra to the point I could barely keep my eyes open I was so exhausted. Talking seemed an impossible feat, but I was determined to be as strong as I could. "So why didn't you just find someone with my Kekkei Genkai? Why choose me?" I asked coldly.

"We haven't been able to locate anyone with your Kekkei Genkai... Either they are exceptionally good at hiding, or you are the only one left." Kabuto said calmly from somewhere to my left.

"Hah... It's probably the first. I _am_ from the Land of Water, after all. People like me live in absolute terror of being discovered." I snorted distastefully. It had been two days since I regained consciousness, and apparently they had kept me unconscious with medicine for two days before I woke. So far Kabuto had only drawn blood from me and was carefully observing it. I could see most of my body when I looked down as well as I could without moving my head, and the fact that the veins in my arms were _visibly_ blue from the liquid creeped me the hell out.

"...Why is it blue?" I asked, and Kabuto let out an irritated sigh.

"Because it's depressed." He said sarcastically.

"Sarcasm is an unflattering attribute. You already have plenty of those, no need to add on to the pile." I said calmly, and I heard Kabuto stand up.

"All right... Since you're feeling so lively today, I'll just go ahead and get this highly painful procedure out of the way." Kabuto said calmly as he walked into eye sight, holding a large needle. "Oh... Sorry, but no pain medicine. It'll obscure the data." Kabuto said as he poised the long needle above my belly button. My eyes widened with fear, but I quickly hid it and simply glared at Kabuto. He glanced from the needle and eyed me. "Not so talkative now, are we?" He sneered before plunging the needle into my abdomen. I inhaled sharply at the pain, but allowed no other reaction to show, distracting myself by plotting hundreds of ways to kill Kabuto.

* * *

Gaara entered Konoha with his sister without any problems, and immediately went straight to the Hokage. He walked into the room without knocking, closing the door and locking it before Temari could enter as well. "Kazekage-sama. What brings you here on such... no notice?" Tsunade asked with a frown, sitting upright in her chair. Gaara walked to the desk, pulling out the clear object he'd found on the mesa and setting the fragile piece of glass on the desk in front of her. Tsunade eyed it before frowning. "I don't understand."

"Namichi Hasu has a Kekkei Genkai that allows her to create and manipulate glass." Gaara said calmly, an emotion he wasn't feeling, and Tsunade frowned deeper. "She was attacked and kidnapped when she went to a mesa outside of Sunagakure... This was at the scene." Gaara said, lifting up the glass, which was in the form of the name 'Orochi' before it was cut off.

"What!" Tsunade's eyes widened.

"I intend to attack immediately and recover her, as soon as we discover her location. Since he is Konoha's business, I believed it right to inform you ahead of time so you could assist if you wished." Gaara said, narrowing his eyes, his face otherwise expressionless.

"I see... Well, you have impeccable timing, Kazekage-sama. We just sent Naruto's team out to investigate a potential location of him... They are headed to the Tenchi Bridge. Shizune!" Tsunade called, and a moment later the assistant unlocked the door and walked in, Temari stepping in beside her. "Shizune, take Temari and find Asuma's team immediately." Tsunade ordered before looking to Gaara. "They will meet you at the gates as soon as I have briefed them on the situation. It will be about three to four days to reach the bridge. Feel free to buy any supplies you need here in Konoha." Tsunade said quickly.

"Very well... Thank you, Hokage-sama, for your assistance." Gaara said politely and calmly, and Tsunade nodded. Gaara turned to leave, Temari and Shizune having already left to gather the team.

"Oh, and Kazekage-sama?" Tsunade called, and Gaara looked over his shoulder at her. "You wouldn't have rushed here like you did if she wasn't important to you. Good luck, and I hope things work." Tsunade said before lowering her head to her paper work. Gaara nodded before leaving, frowning. _She's right... I wouldn't have done things so quickly if it were anyone else other then my siblings... Do I care for her?_ Gaara wondered uneasily. _I fear for her, and I want to protect her..._ Gaara looked out at Konoha with a frown.

* * *

Kabuto pulled the needle out, intentionally slowly to cause more pain. Once it was all the way out, I mentally sighed in relief. "I thought you said that was supposed to hurt... I didn't feel a thing." I scoffed, though it was a complete lie.

"I'll keep that in mind." Kabuto said icily.

"I have a question."

"When don't you?" Kabuto said dryly.

"If Orochimaru wants me to join forces, why didn't he just give me that creepy ass curse seal thing?" I asked curiously.

"Because I doubt someone as weak as you could withstand it." Orochimaru sneered from behind me. I forced myself not to tense at the sound of his voice, or the fact that he basically snuck up on me.

"Sneaky, sneaky, Orochimaru-_sama_. Or should I say, snakey, snakey?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Cute. However, if you're that desperate for power, I'm sure we can figure something out." Orochimaru offered, and I grimaced at him.

"No thank you. I quite enjoy _not_ being a monster." I said with a hint of disgust. _I never knew talking could be this exhausting..._

"But isn't that all you are to your 'friends'?" Orochimaru said with his creepy smile.

"You know, not that I'm complaining or anything, but your accomodations really suck. I've been strapped to this table, experimented on, only able to leave to use the bathroom. My food consists of this IV here, and it's really quite rude to have me drugged non stop." I said as calmly as I could manage.

"Perhaps if you would behave yourself, I would be more willing to allow you more freedom. I'm really quite benevolent when you do what I ask." Orochimaru said.

"Yes. I'm sure you're a very kind person underneath all the destruction, murder, torture, body eating, inhuman stuff." I said, freezing as Orochimaru was suddenly right beside my face, his tongue trailing my cheekbone, sending shivers of disgust through my body.

"Keep testing my patience, and I'll show you how far my tolerance spans." He hissed softly, and I ground my teeth.

"Apparently not very far." I spat through clenched teeth. Orochimaru stepped back, his tongue leaving my cheek.

"Kabuto..." He said, the gray haired shinobi nodded.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." He said, and Orochimaru turned, leaving the room. Kabuto came into view holding another syringe, only it was filled with an odd black liquid, which I guessed was a poison.

"And that is?" I asked calmly as Kabuto pressed the needle against my IV, slowly injecting it into it. I watched as it slowly went through the IV and into my skin.

"Something to remind you not to cross Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto sneered. "Do try not to scream." He said a little to happily, and I glared daggers at him as he walked away. _Well shit... Way to piss off the wrong dude... Not that I'm even sure he's a dude anymore. Is that asshole even huma- Holy shit!_ I thought as I felt pain shooting through my body like electricity. I clenched my jaw shut determinedly, shutting my eyes tightly against the agony tearing through my body.

* * *

"Hm... She's coming to, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto's voice was the first irritating noise I heard when I woke. The poison had lasted an entire twenty-four hours of pure pain. I hadn't made a single noise, though the pain was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Tears I never allowed to fall.

"Finally awake, hm?" Orochimaru purred, being the second irritating and creepy noise I heard. I opened my exhausted purple eyes, the weird blue thing keeping my energy suppressed still. It was irritating as hell that I was so tired, I could barely lift a finger, but at least I had enough strength to glare furiously at my two captors.

"You know, snake eyes mean bad luck. Maybe you should get contacts. People might trust you better then, Orochimaru_-sama._" I spat his name like it was dirt, my anger slipping through.

"Kabuto, increase the pain this time." Orochimaru instructed, and Kabuto lifted a larger amount of the black poison towards my IV, slowly injecting it in. "As amusing as it would be to watch you enjoy it, we have to leave for a few hours. Don't miss us too much." Orochimaru purred, and I glared at the direction he disappeared into, hearing him and Kabuto leave. I inhaled sharply as the beginning jolt of pain hit me. I clenched my jaw against the pain, feeling it quickly spreading through my body and intensifying it even more then last time.

* * *

Gaara led the team of seven shinobi through the trees quickly. They'd found the bridge destroyed when they reached it, making it necessary for Gaara to carry everyone across with his sand. On the other side, they found a massive crater, and followed the trail of destruction. The team consisted of Temari, Asuma, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, and Kankurou who'd caught up with them, with Gaara leading. A large amount of dust flying in the air a good distance away caught everyone's attention immediately.

"Asuma-sensei..." Ino began, but the jounin just nodded.

"I see it as well." He said calmly.

"Man... She just keeps finding trouble everywhere where she goes." Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome..."

"Damn it, can't you say anything other then 'troublesome', you lazy bastard?" Temari snapped to the chuunin.

"Can't you be less troublesome?" Shikamaru complained.

"Shikamaru." Asuma said sternly. "This is serious. Everyone stay on your guard." He said seriously, and his team nodded. Gaara narrowed his eyes, summoning a large layer of hard sand under everyone's feet. They immediately stopped moving, standing on the sand as it started going forward faster then they had been running. The dust was coming from a large building, with a huge in it. Obviously, someone was fighting.

* * *

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes, rolling down the sides of my face, tickling my ears. My breathing was quick and pained, and I was nearly hyperventilating from the pain alone. My chest heaved with every short breath, the pain making it difficult to even control my breathing. I was holding in screams as best as I could, but it was getting harder and harder with every passing minute. _Twisted bastards... How dare they do this to me?_ I thought furiously through the pain. _I'll end them when I get free. _I thought furiously, my whole body tensing as I heard the door open.

"Hmph... It seems the ink boy told them this bases location. Move what you need, and be quick." I hear Orochimaru say in his silky smooth, yet toxic voice.

"What about the girl?" Kabuto asked distastefully.

"Leave her... We don't need the trouble she causes now that we found a less irritating subject. Hm..." Orochimaru walked closer, still behind my head, though. "Heh... Kabuto, you sure have a twisted personality to invent a poison like this..." Orochimaru said, and I heard the smirk in his voice. "Don't waste any time, or I'll leave you behind." He said before leaving the room. I heard Kabuto moving around the room as I continued to stubbornly suppress my screams.

"You got lucky. We found someone with a more interesting then you." Kabuto said with a smirk at me. I wanted nothing more then to spit on him, but if I opened my mouth, I would probably just end up screaming. "Normally I would just kill you, but he doesn't seem to think that necessary this time..." He said before smirking a bit wider. "I wonder what's so appealing..." He said, leaning down so his face was close enough I could feel his breath on me. I glared hatefully at him, which didn't faze him at all. I half expected him to just kill me right there, but the asshole did something I didn't expect. He pressed his lips against mine, causing me to narrow my eyes furiously.

I felt him smirk against my lips as I held them shut firmly. He reached up and put his hand on mine, digging his nails into my skin. I let out a gasp of pain, as it hurt me more then usual because of the pain I was already feeling, and he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I was frozen for a moment, tears still rolling down from my eyes, but quickly recovered and bit his tongue. He pulled away immediately, and I clenched my jaw shut tightly. Kabuto chuckled lightly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "Just as I thought. Nothing worth saving." He said with a smirk. "I'll leave this here... Have fun getting free." Kabuto said, dropping the key to open the metal clasps holding my limbs and neck in place on my chest before I heard him move around the room.

_Fucking... Asshole. I'm kicking his little ass as soon as I get out of here._ I thought furiously, absolutely livid and disgusted. _How dare he touch me. I will end him!_ I shouted in my mind as pain seared through my body. I felt blood on the top of my hand from where Kabuto had dug his nails into me hard enough to draw blood. I lay there, unmoving except for my rapid and heavy breathing moving my chest, for some time. I wasn't sure how long had passed. It felt like forever, but that could have easily been just the pain clouding my mind. None the less, I knew I couldn't hold back the screams much longer.

Finally, I heard Kabuto finish his packing. He walked into view, holding one hand behind his back. "I'm disappointed." He said with a calm expression. "I haven't been able to hear your reaction to my poison yet..." Kabuto said, pulling his hand from behind his back, a scalpel in his grip. _Shit... Shit!_ I thought, my eyes widening a bit. "Finally a reaction... You continue waiting and waiting to be saved, but no one is coming... Think of it like this. This way, you'll at least do something good in the world... Your screams will please Orochimaru-sama. You always wanted to please someone, didn't you? Here's your chance." Kabuto said with a smirk, seeming amused with my tears of pain. He pressed the scalpel against my calf. I glared furiously at him, my eyes dripping tears from the pain.

He dug the scalpel into my calf enough to pierce the skin but not my tendons, slowly moving it down my leg. At first I held in the pain, but less then a third of the way down my leg I let out a cry of pain. "You bastard! I've done nothing to you! Why do you want to hurt me so bad!" I shouted furiously in a pained and stressed voice, covering my screams by yelling. He continued cutting until I stopped yelling, an actual scream of pain tearing from my lips. Kabuto pressed his lips to my ear as I screamed, smirking.

"Because you are nothing more then trash... and trash doesn't deserve peace or happiness." He sneered before pulling away. He grabbed the bag of the blue liquid that was making me so tired and weak and gave it a squeeze before leaving, pushing more of it into my body. I sobbed and cried out in pain, lacking the strength to hold them back anymore. _I am worthless..._


	8. Chapter 7

** Okay, this chapter also sucks, but not as bad. About halfway through it gets less retarded, and there's a long scene with Hasu and Temari talking. The end of this chapter is important cause it has something happen. Anyways, please read and review. Like I've said many times before, I really appreciate reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Hasu, nor do I want to own. My drawing sucks, and I'd be quickly murdered by angry fans ~.^**

* * *

"This is it." Sai said, having led the entire group to a location he'd heard Orochimaru and Kabuto talking about. Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato went to return to Konoha while Sai stayed behind to help

"We'll split up and search the entire place. Jounins go alone, Chuunins team up. Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji." Asuma instructed, everyone nodding affirmation. Asuma turned to say something to Gaara, only to find he'd left already. Suppressing a sigh, Asuma nodded for everyone to go, and they all split up. Gaara, on the other hand, was already going through the hallways. His face was expressionless, but he was feeling uneasy on the inside as his sand carried him through the tunnel-like halls. After nearly ten minutes of searching, he was floating by yet another door when he heard a pained noise from inside.

He dropped from the sand cloud, grabbing the door and pushing it open. He walked into the room, the pained sounds louder and clearer. Gaara approached the table in the room carefully, his eyes widening a fraction as he saw it was Hasu on the table, her eyes shut tightly as she made a whimper-like sound of pain. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the wound on her leg, her pants cut under her knee from something cutting through it and hurting her. Spotting the key on Hasu's chest, he carefully lifted it with sand and slipped it into the metal sockets, opening each of the binds one at a time.

Hasu made no movement as Gaara undid the last binding, the one around her neck. He spotted the IV in her arm and narrowed his eyes as he saw the blue liquid. In one swift movement, he grabbed the IV and tore it from her arm, pressing his thumb on the hole it left behind in her skin. With his other arm, using sand to help, he lifted her from the table and lowered her to the ground, kneeling beside her. "Hasu." Gaara said calmly, though his voice was a bit more stressed then usual. She didn't respond, simply clenching her jaw tighter. Gaara placed a hand on her cheek lightly, frowning at the small amount of sweat on her.

He narrowed his eyes before summoning his sand, sending it back out the door to inform the others he found her and where.

* * *

"Hasu." I heard him say softly, but I was too exhausted to respond. I was so tired I couldn't even scream at the pain anymore, only able to make pathetic whimpering noises. He gently placed his hand on my cheek, and it felt very cold to me. _Am I running a fever from the pain? It wouldn't surprise me..._ I thought tiredly. I was clenching my jaw against the pain, but now it was just because it helped distract me a bit. I heard the rustling of Gaara's sand, forcing myself to open my teary eyes, the tears not falling because I'd almost cried my eyes dry in the last few hours of this pain. Gaara almost looked relieved when I met his eyes tiredly.

"Hasu. This is why you should not get drunk." Gaara said simply, and I tried to smile, but my lip only twitched with the effort. Gaara glanced towards my calf, which I could feel had stopped bleeding by the fact that it felt like a scab was forming. I closed my eyes tightly against the pain, tiling my head so I leaned into the hand that was lightly on my cheek. I let out a small whimper of pain, biting down on my lip as I tried to tough it out. "Hasu, can you speak?" Gaara asked, but I just leaned into his hand further, praying it would somehow get rid of the pain. I heard foot steps rushing towards the room.

"Hasu!" I heard Temari's alarmed voice before her footsteps stopped at my side, opposite of where Gaara was. "What's wrong with her?" Temari asked Gaara worriedly.

"They injected her with this." Gaara said, though I couldn't see what they were talking about. I felt sweat tickling my brow, probably because of the pain I was in. I forced myself to open my eyes, my breathing quick and short. I heard more footsteps, more then before, enter the room.

"Are they here? I'm going to kill them..." Temari growled furiously.

"No sign of them. It looks like they knew we were coming and left." I heard Asuma said. _Wait, Asuma?_ I ground my teeth together as the pain intensified sharply, something it would do randomly. I dug my nails into the dirt covered floor, a small cry of pain escaping my lips.

"Sorry Temari, but please move." I heard Sakura say, my face still pressed into Gaara's hand, which left Temari and now Sakura out of my eyesight. I heard Temari move out of the way, Sakura quickly sitting where she'd been.

"What's wrong with her?" Temari asked urgently. Sakura was silent for some time before answering.

"Some kind of poison... It's suppressing her chakra, but there's something else... I can try to extract it..." Sakura said uncertainly.

"I'll help." I heard Ino's voice before hearing her sit beside Gaara, by the cut in my leg.

"Sorry, Hasu... This'll hurt a bit." Sakura said before I felt her touch the wound on my leg, roughly brushing the scab away. I squeezed my eyes a bit tighter, but that was it. I felt the pain start to slowly leave me, until finally it was completely gone. I let out a sigh of relief, my whole body relaxing. "Hasu, are you feeling better, then?" Sakura asked, but I was utterly exhausted. The pain was bad enough that it had been the only thing keeping me conscious, and left me completely exhausted.

"Why isn't she answering?" I heard Kankurou's voice somewhere behind me.

"She's probably tired from the pain and the chakra suppressors... Which I'm getting rid of now." Sakura said. "She isn't going to regain her strength immediately, because I can only get rid of what's causing the suppression. What's already effected her will have to leave her body on its own..." Sakura explained calmly.

"Troublesome woman..." I heard Shikamaru's voice, and immediately opened my eyes. I turned my head away from Gaara's hand, looking towards everyone. Temari and Sakura were at my side, Gaara and Ino at my other side. Shikamaru, Kankurou, Chouji, Asuma, and some guy who looked really pale were watching from a few feet away. Temari scowled at me.

"For once, I agree with lazy ass." She said, narrowing her eyes at me. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes momentarily at how tired I was, before blinking them open again.

"Asuma-sempai." I said, my voice barely above an exhausted whisper. He looked at me, a cigarette sitting lazily in the corner of his mouth.

"They were after it, weren't they?" He asked with a sigh, and I blinked a 'yes' to him, knowing he'd get the message.

"After what?" Chouji asked, and I glanced at Kankurou. He shook his head very slightly to let me know that they weren't informed. _Thank god that after a year of living with him, we can practically speak without actually speaking._ I thought as Asuma looked at me questioningly.

"No." I breathed out, closing my eyes tiredly as I let my body relax against the ground again.

"Don't want them to know yet, eh?" Asuma sighed. "Oh well... It can't be helped... Sakura, Ino, are you almost done?"

"Yeah... We're just about... there." Ino said triumphantly.

"Good... Let's head out..." Asuma said.

"Who gets to carry the dead-weight?" Shikamaru said jokingly.

"You, lazy ass." Temari growled, and Shikamaru sighed.

"Damn women..." He grumbled as he got closer, and I heard Gaara stand up and walk away. I opened my eyes a slit as Shikamaru lifted me up bridal style. "You're going to explain yourself when we get to Suna." He whispered to me.

"Are you really going to carry her like that the whole way?" Ino asked skeptically, and I felt Shikamaru shrug as I tiredly shut my eyes again.

"Might as well... This way she can sleep... Troublesome woman." I heard him say before I started drifting unconscious. I could have sworn I felt sand brush my cheek before I fell asleep.

* * *

"I'm killing them." I said simply, two days later. I had finally gotten rid of the suppressors after a day and a half of absolute exhaustion, and was currently floating in the sky on a sheet of thick glass. Temari was also on a sheet of glass that I was holding her up on. We'd separated from the group for a few hours so we could talk.

"Not if I get them first." Temari growled.

"All right. You get skankface- wait, I meant snake-face." I corrected myself innocently, and Temari smiled lightly. "I get Kabuto. Did I tell you what that bastard did to me yet!" I shouted, anger filling me again.

"No?" Temari shrugged, and I glared furiously at the ground, which was over a mile below us.

"He fucking kissed me. While I was tied to a table, he kissed me. Then said that he was right, and I wasn't worth anything!" I shouted, and Temari's eyes went wide.

"Are you kidding me! Did you kick his ass?" She demanded, and I looked at her.

"No. I was tied to a table, remember? But I did bite the shit out of his tongue. That's right. He fucking kissed me with _tongue._" I said, spitting over the edge of the glass as though to decontaminate my mouth.

"...All right. We're going to torture him, then we'll cut his tongue and make him swallow it... then he'll die from choking." Temari said, and I nodded my agreement. I looked up at the sky, frowning softly. "What is it?" Temari asked, and I sighed, looking back at her.

"I think I'm going to return to the Land of Water for a week or two..." I said with a frown.

"What? Why!" Temari demanded quickly, and I sighed again.

"The nightmares won't go away... It's been over a month, and I've slept maybe once a week the entire time. I think I'm starting to see things, honestly." I said, and Temari looked amused for a moment before she realized I was being serious.

"Seeing what things?" She asked seriously as I floated her sheet of glass closer to mine.

"I keep seeing my mother..." I began uncertainly. "My birth mother. She abandoned me so early I can hardly remember her, but I keep seeing her..." I said with a sigh, running my hand through my short, loose crimson hair.

"Are you sure?" Temari asked, and I nodded.

"It's starting to bother me.. And by bother, I mean scare. Seriously." I said to Temari, and she frowned. "I feel paranoid, too. I'm not sure what to think of it. Do you think it's just lack of sleep?" I asked Temari anxiously. She looked at me carefully before nodding.

"Yeah. Besides, your mother would have no idea what you looked like anymore." Temari said. "The only explanation is that you're just seeing things, probably from lack of sleep... We're going to pass Konoha soon. We'll just drop off Asuma's team and leave, though. No time to stop and hang around when we have the Kazekage with us."

"Speaking of, is it just me, or did he actually look relieved earlier?" I asked, and Temari let out a small laugh.

"He did. We all did. We were scared as hell when you went missing, Hasu. When Gaara found the name you spelled out in glass, we ran to Konoha so fast it only took us two days." Temari said, and I looked at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Huh?" Temari blinked, confused as well now.

"I never made any glass, Temari... I was drunk to hell and knocked out within a second of me realizing I wasn't alone. I never had the chance to." I said, frowning in confusion. Temari frowned as well, pulling her eyebrows together.

"You don't think they left it there to lead us to them, do you...?" Temari frowned, and I did as well.

"I'm not sure... All they really did to me was suppress my chakra and shoot me up with that _horrible_ drug when I bad mouthed Orochimaru... Which I did almost constantly, by the way." I said with a small smile, and Temari sighed.

"I don't know whether to slap you for intentionally provoking them, or to high-five you for not letting them get to you." Temari said in an exasperated tone. _If only you knew how much they had gotten to me._ I thought sadly though I kept a smile on my face.

"Solution!" I said, and Temari looked at me. "Face-five." I said with a nod, and Temari smiled slightly.

"You know, we were really all worried. Even Kankurou, though he wouldn't admit it." Temari said, and I smiled.

"Of course he was worried. We're going to be life-long drinking partners some day. We almost never drink with anyone else but each other." I said with a laugh.

"Almost never? Who else have you drank with?" Temari asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, Gaara." I said, enjoying the look of shock on Temari's face.

"Gaara! My little brother? The ever-stoic Kazekage, Gaara?" Temari gasped as she laughed loudly, and I joined in.

"Yup!" I said between laughs, and Temari grinned at me.

"What'd you do while you drank?" She asked, and I laughed.

"Played Go Fish." I said as I laughed. "The drinking game version, that is. Oh man, Temari. I'm so getting you and Kankurou to play the drinking game called 'Bullshit'." I said with a grin.

"Hah! Maybe for my birthday." Temari grinned, and I nodded my agreement.

"Definately for your birthday." I said, and Temari laughed a bit.

"Maybe we should head back soon... We've been gone for hours." Temari sighed, but I shook my head.

"Don't worry. Gaara's been keeping an eye on us." I said with a small smile, and Temari tilted her head at me.

"Wait, has he heard what we've been saying?" She asked, and I shook my head again.

"No, he's keeping enough distance to be out of hearing range but in eyesight... He's using the third eye jutsu." I explained, and she nodded.

"All right... What about you? Aren't you tired yet?" Temari asked worriedly, glancing at the glass.

"A little, but not much... Actually, I think they are getting near Konoha..." I said, frowning.

"How do you know?" Temari asked, and I grinned.

"I have my ways. Floaty clear shit isn't the limit to my powers." I said with a laugh, and Temari laughed as well.

"You're really weird sometimes." Temari laughed, and I poked my tongue out at her.

"I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all, and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird." I said with a nod, and Temari looked at me in confusion.

"...Right... Well, we should head back quickly then." Temari said, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Wanting to see your Shikamaru, are ya?" I teased, and Temari blushed slightly.

"He's just a lazy bastard." Temari said, and I laughed.

"Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." I teased, and Temari let out a small laugh. I sat down on the glass, Temari doing the same, and the glass started moving forward. "You know, love won't wait forever... You have to dive in headfirst, Temari, or you'll miss your chance." I said as I directed the glass towards the forest, slowly lowering us.

"The same for you, Hasu." Temari said, and I looked over at her with a frown. "I've seen how you look at my brother. I'm not blind, Hasu." Temari said seriously as we dropped through the tree branches towards the forest floor. We touched the ground, the glass fading. Temari looked at me pointedly. "It's sad not to love, Hasu. But it's much sadder to be unable to." She said before walking forward. I stared at her as she started to leave, my eyes wide. I lowered my gaze to the undergrowth covering the ground before letting out a small sigh and following the blonde jounin.

* * *

"Shikamaru." I said, interrupting the discussion that everyone was having. I jerked my head over my shoulder to signal him to follow me before turning around and walking into the woods. I heard Shikamaru following me, and waited until we were a good distance out earshot to speak to him. "You wanted an explanation, right?" I asked, and he nodded. "Well, here it is." I said, summoning glass at our feet and raising us up into the air.

"What the-?" Shikamaru blinked, frowning at me.

"Yeah... I have a Kekkei Genkai, I'm from Kirigakure, I left Kiri when they found out about my abilities and started getting assassination attempts on me by my own teammates. I have nearly no who my parents are because they abandoned me so early in life I can barely remember because of my Kekkei Genkai. I was raised by a woman who was murdered because they couldn't kill me when I was ten years old. I left Konoha with no intentions of ever staying in one place for a damn long time, but hey, love really hits you out of nowhere. Oh, and I'm in love with Gaara and he has no clue... I think I got it all." I finished with a small smile while Shikamaru just blinked at me a few times before sighing.

"Women are so troublesome... So Orochimaru took you for your Kekkei Genkai?" Shikamaru guessed, and I scowled.

"No... I don't think so. That's what I need to talk to you about. I can manipulate and create glass out of thin air. I was drunk when Orochimaru approached me, and within a second of me noticing him, I was knocked unconscious. Yet Gaara found a shard of glass with his name on it. What do you make of this?" I asked, my brows pulled together in frustration.

"Did he want to lead us to him?" Shikamaru asked with a frown, and I sighed.

"I'm not sure. If that was it, why leave before you all arrived? If that wasn't it, why would they just keep me weakened and do basically nothing else?" I asked, irritated.

"...To lure someone out." Shikamaru said, and I looked at him with a frown.

"But who? He didn't try anything with any of you..." I trailed off thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure... but it makes sense." Shikamaru sighed, and I nodded.

"Yeah, it does..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "All right... well, we're almost to Konoha... I guess you'll be leaving with your team as soon as we get back to them?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru said, and I nodded.

"Well, let's head back then..." I said tiredly, and we started walking back to the others, me limping slightly because of the injury on my leg.

* * *

I glared at my cards irritably, Gaara sitting calmly and expressionless across from me. It was well into the night, and we'd passed Konoha and were only two days from Suna. Kankurou and Temari were sleeping a few feet away, which Gaara and I were sitting there playing cards. Insomnia sucks. Slowly, I set a six of spades on top of the discard pile. Gaara silently placed a jack of spades over it. I scanned my cards thoughtfully before setting a jack of hearts over his jack.

He placed a three of hearts down, and I suppressed a sigh. "I'm starting to think-" I began to say when I froze, movement catching my eye from behind Gaara. I saw the flash of a kunai, my eyes widening with fear. Just before the kunai hit Gaara, it disappeared.

"Hasu." Gaara said, and I slowly looked at him. He raised a non-existing eyebrow at me, demanding an explanation.

"It's... nothing." I said quietly, narrowing my eyes. Gaara looked at me expressionlessly, but didn't say anything as we continued the game. _I'm just imagining things... I have to be... But what if I'm not?_ I wondered, glancing past Gaara to where I swore I'd seen a kunai. _Is someone going to try to hurt Gaara?_


	9. Chapter 8

**Yay! Stupid chapters over! This one is kind of jumpy, but it's good... At least, I think it is. Thank you to everyone who's reading this story, though I'd appreciate it if you reviewed. Thanks ^^**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto but Hasu... Though I wish I owned Gaara in real life ~.^**

* * *

I was sitting on one of the mesas that overlooked Suna. We'd arrived only a few hours beforehand, Kankurou sitting on front of me, facing me. Between us was one bottle of sake and two cups. "Man... Temari's going to hit me for drinking with you." Kankurou sighed, and I shook my head.

"No, she knows what we're doing." I said as I poured the sake into the cups.

"All right... what is it you needed to talk about?" Kankurou asked as he drank the cup slowly.

"Kankurou, I'm going to leave for a week or two. I'm really hesitant to go, though... I think something is going to happen." I said hesitantly, sipping the sake. Kankurou eyed me with a frown.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Kankurou said, and I sighed.

"Kankurou, you know I'm far from an idiot. I don't worry about things unless I'm sure it's needed, usually... This time, I'm relying on my instincts. I need you to trust them... Can you do that?" I asked, and Kankurou eyed me before nodding curtly. "All right... I think someone is targeting me... and I think they are going to try to hurt Gaara to get to me." I said seriously, and Kankurou frowned.

"Why would that hurt you?" Kankurou asked, and I sighed at him.

"Because I love him, Kankurou..." I said, and Kankurou blinked at me before sighing, drinking more sake.

"Okay... so you love my little brother?" Kankurou asked, and I nodded.

"I said that, didn't I?" I carefully drank more sake, refilling the cups. "I am almost positive someone is after me, and I'm certain they will try to hurt Gaara. I have to leave for a week or two. Staying here isn't an option at the moment. I will also being going alone." I said seriously, and Kankurou eyed me skeptically.

"Are you sure you want to go off on your own if you think you're being hunted?" Kankurou questioned, and I nodded.

"I have to. Don't come after me unless I'm gone for a month." I said seriously. _If I get captured, two weeks is more then enough time to escape... after finding out what I need to learn. Not that I'm going to let myself get captured again._

"You want me to keep an eye on Gaara?" Kankurou guessed.

"I need you to be with him at all times. I don't want to risk something happening to him..." I trailed off with a sigh.

"All right. I'll do what I can." Kankurou said. "When are you leaving and where to?"

"I'm leaving now. I'm going to see my mother."

* * *

And so I found myself on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. I was constantly on guard, being extremely careful not to be found out. I knew if I was caught by Kirigakure shinobi, it would mean serious trouble for Suna. Finally, after hours of simply sitting in front of a small stone, I got what I came for. "I knew you'd show up here." A beautiful voice said from behind where I knelt. I didn't move, simply staring at the stone my hand was lightly sitting on.

"I knew you'd look here... You kept me waiting." I said calmly. "She never did like Kirigakure... When I left, I took her gravestone with me, and put it here. That way I could visit her, since I'm no longer allowed in Kirigakure, and she wouldn't be buried somewhere she hated."

"Tch... Why would I give a damn what that woman cared about?" The beautiful voice scoffed.

"What? You don't care to know about the woman who raised me?" I asked, a cold smile on my lips. "I would expect no less from you."

"Hmph. So how much have you seen through?" The voice demanded from behind me.

"I've seen through you. I've seen through you getting Kabuto to torture me... I've seen through how you convinced them to help you. What I haven't seen through is who you were trying to lure out." I said in a completely relaxed tone.

"You're awfully at ease for someone who's life I'm making hell." The voice growled suspiciously.

"Only because I'm used to it. You may have been the first one to hurt me, but you were and are far from last." I said calmly.

"Impudent little bitch." The woman's voice growled angrily.

"I do try... Tell me, who were you trying to lure out?" I asked, still unmoving as I stared at the grave stone.

"Someone much more worthwhile to Orochimaru-sama then you." The voice sneered, and I narrowed my eyes very slightly.

"-sama, eh? You've fallen lower then I thought." I said in a relaxed tone, and immediately heard the whoosh of air before a kunai flew just by my cheek, creating a long cut on it. A shallow wound. I didn't flinch, or even blink as it did. "You missed." I said calmly, hearing the soft hiss behind me. "...I see. You were trying to lure out _him_, weren't you?" I guessed, taking her silence as an answer. "How very cruel of you... However, I hid him very well. You will never find him.." I said coldly.

"You dare hide him from me?" The voice growled, and I traced that name on the gravestone with my fingertip.

"Yes, I do dare... Do you dare battle me? You will lose... But you know that, don't you?" I said calmly, hearing the irritated noises coming from the woman behind me.

"You... will _never_ be worth anything, _Hasu._" The voice snarled furiously. "Shunned by your own family... You have no friends, only people who pity you. Even your _enemies_ discard you as worthless. I will take him, and then you will be completely alone." I simply looked at the gravestone, tracing the engraved name with my pointer finger until I'd long since heard the woman go. With a soft sigh, I stood up.

"Goodbye, Okaa-chan..." I whispered as I tore my eyes from the gravestone, beginning my trip back to Sunagakure.

* * *

I sat on the roof outside my window, staring out at Sunagakure silently. I'd returned after four days of uneventful traveling. I'd walked into the house and past the waiting siblings and went right out onto the roof, ignoring them ever since. I wasn't trying to be rude, I was just caught up in my thoughts. _I'm not sure what to do... If she goes after him, it will be difficult to protect him without causing problems between villages... I've hidden him well, but if she finds him... I can't go to him, as she'll follow me. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she followed me here. _I looked out at the mesa, scanning it despite it being pointless as it was too dark to see much.

_If she finds him, then I'll have to kill her... If I can't stop her in time, I'll have to kill him._ I winced at that thought. _I can't do that..._ I looked over as I heard movement to see Gaara quietly sitting down beside me.

"Temari is worried because you haven't eaten or spoken since your return." He said without emotion as he looked out at Suna.

"Yeah, well..." I turned back to staring at Suna as well. "I've been busy thinking." Yet again I fell into silence as I got caught up in my thoughts. _I'm not sure I'd be able to stop her from using him if she got him... But... If I go to him, we could very easily kill her and her people... No, he wouldn't like that. He would do it for me, but he would hate it... I won't make him do that... Can I really protect him?_ I thought sadly, leaning over without looking. Gaara tensed slightly as I leaned my arm against his, resting my head on his shoulder. He relaxed slowly as I stared out at the village. After a few minutes, I sat back up. "I... love you, Gaara." I said quietly.

Gaara looked at me, his eyes widening a fraction on his otherwise emotionless face. I met his eyes silently for a few moments before I turned to look out at Suna, closing my eyes lightly as I heard the rustling sand, telling me Gaara had left. I looked out at the mesa with a hardened expression, narrowing my eyes. "Come near my family, and I'll kill you." I growled under my breath to nothing before I turned around and stood, climbing back into the house.

"Hasu." Temari said as I walked into the living room, Kankurou sprawled on the sofa.

"Hm?" I hummed as I sat down on Kankurou's chest.

"Oi, woman..." Kankurou grumbled.

"Are you alright?" Temari asked as I flicked at Kankurou, who had tried to push me from his chest.

"I'm fine." I said calmly. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you seem distracted and... different." Temari said hesitantly, and I stood up, getting off the irritated Kankurou, and sat at the edge of the couch just past his feet.

"I'm fine, Temari... I just hadn't visited my mothers grave in some time until a few days ago..." I said calmly.

"Damn it, Hasu. You need to stop living up to your name." Temari growled, referring to the fact that my name meant 'Lotus', which stood for 'mystery' and 'truth'.

"I like to think I live more up to 'Suisen' then 'Hasu'." I said, and Temari frowned at me. Suisen meant 'Daffodil', which stood for 'unrequited love'. "Anyways, I need get some sleep..."

"But you'll have nightmares?" Temari said, though it was questioning like she wasn't sure anymore.

"So?" I asked as I walked towards my room, leaving behind two confused siblings.

_

* * *

_

"Why can't I leave?" A boy of twelve questioned a thirteen year old Hasu. He had dark brown hair with a near invisible reddish tint and dark purple eyes. He wore a simple dark grey, long sleeve shirt with dark grey pants and navy blue shinobi sandals.

_"Because you could be hurt if you do..." Hasu said quietly._

_"Who's going to take care of me?" The boy asked worriedly, sounding frightened._

_"I will, silly... I'm not abandoning you. I would never do that." Hasu said assuringly. "I'll bring you food and water every few weeks, and I'll bring enough to last you a month each time. You'll never have to worry... I'll come and spend a few days with you every few weeks."_

_"But what if you forget about me?" The boy asked in a scared voice._

_"I won't forget about you. You're way too important for that." Hasu said, smiling at the boy._

_"Are you sure?" He asked nervously._

_"I'm positive... I'll never forget about you." Hasu swore, hugging the boy who was only a year younger then herself._

_"All right... I'll stay here, then." The boy said as they pulled apart from the hug, giving Hasu a wide grin. She smiled back at him._

I woke up from the relatively peaceful dream, a feeling of dread washing over me. I shook it off as I got up from the bed, quickly getting dressed. I pulled on my black, sleeveless top with a collar that reached half-way up my neck, the shirt bordered by dark purple that matched my eyes. I put on my black pants, then my black shinobi boots. Tightly tying my dark purple Suna hitai-ate around my upper arm, I pulled on my black fingerless gloves that reached just below my elbows, a metal plate across the top of my hands. I walked out of the room while tying my shoulder-length crimson hair up.

"Morning." I called as I walked into the living room to find Temari and Kankurou eating some breakfast.

"Morning." Temari and Kankurou called back, and Temari immediatly smacked him on the back of the head for talking with his mouth full.

"Ow! What the hell, woman?" Kankurou demanded as he swallowed his food. I smiled lightly at their antics as I walked into the kitchen to grab some breakfast of my own. Before I reached the food, though, I heard a knock on the door.

"I got it." I called to the siblings as I walked over to the door, opening it to find Baki standing there, looking at me with a frown. "Baki?" I asked, surprised. "Can I help you?"

"The Kazekage wishes to see you immediately..." He said with a frown, and I nodded.

"Got it." I said, opening the door further. Baki stepped out of the way for me to walk out, and I looked over my shoulder. "I'll be back soon." I called to the siblings before walking out of the house, closing the door behind me. I looked at Baki as we began to head towards the Kazekage's building. "What's this about?"

"I'm not sure." Baki said honestly. "We received a message from Konoha earlier and when Kazekage-sama read it, he told me to get you... I don't know what it said."

"Odd... It can't be that important to me if Konoha didn't sent it to me directly, right?" I asked myself aloud.

"Or it's important enough that the decrpyters decided the Kazekage needed to read it as well..." Baki pointed out, and I nodded at the possibility.

"True. But I doubt that... Or maybe they sent bad news to Gaara since they didn't want me to hear about it over paper..." I mused.

"Or it's good news." Baki suggested as we reached the building, and I let out a soft laugh.

"Maybe..." _But I doubt it._ I added in my head as I opened the door to Gaara's office. Baki waited outside as I walked in, closing the door behind me. Normally, Gaara would say something about knocking, but he simply looked at me with an odd expression. "You wanted me?" I asked as I walked into the middle of the room.

"Konohagakure sent a message to inform us of a death." Gaara began and I looked at him, biting the inside of my cheek slightly.

"Who?" I asked.

"Sarutobi Asuma." Gaara said as he watched me carefully. I breathed out tiredly as I lightly covered my eyes with my hand. After a moment to compose myself, I lowered my hand and looked at Gaara seriously.

"Who did it?" I asked calmly.

"Akatsuki... A pair reportedly called Hidan and Kakuzu." Gaara said and I frowned in confusion. Sensing my next question, Gaara answered ahead of time. "They killed him for the bounty he had... However, they retreated for an unknown reason and his team returned his body to Konoha." He said. "Nara Shikamaru, Hagane Kotetsu, and Kamizuki Izumo were all injured, but are recovering... Sarutobi Asuma's funeral will be in three days."

"I see..." I said, hanging my head slightly so my bangs partially hid my eyes. "I need to go... I promised Temari I would be back there soon..." I said, my voice breaking at the last word to my irritation. I turned to leave, only to find my foot caught in sand. I felt a tear slip from my eye and hit the sand, further giving away how sad I really was at this news. I heard Gaara walk over to me, and once he was close enough, I slowly put my arms around him quietly crying into his shoulder. I felt the sand unwrap from my foot as he slowly and hesitantly put his arms around me as well.

* * *

"Again!" Temari growled as she found me on the rooftop three hours later.

"Hello to you to." I said dryly.

"Why are you up here _again?_" Temari asked as she walked over to me, frowning as she spotted the cigarette between my fingers.

"Don't look at me like that... I have plenty bad habits all ready, I'm not picking up another one. It's a... memorial smoke." I said with a shrug.

"Someone died?" Temari asked with a deeper frown as she sat in front of me. I inhaled the cigarette before exhaling the smoke slowly towards the sky, feeling my body relax as I did.

"Asuma-sempai... Shikamaru's sensei." I said with a sigh to get rid of any extra smoke before breathing in more.

"Oh... So that's why Gaara wanted to talk to you earlier... Are you..?" She trailed off questioningly.

"I'm fine." I said bitterly, rubbing the butt of the cigarette into the ground to put it out. "I'm just tired."

"Tired of what?" Temari asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"Of everything, Temari!" I shouted, and she blinked at me. "I'm tired of lying. I'm tired of hiding my past. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of death. I'm tired of hate, and damn it!" I slammed my fist into the roof, feeling my middle knuckle crack at the impact, the skin getting torn from the rough rooftop. "I'm tired of being hunted!" I spat furiously, feeling blood on my knuckles, which were still smashed into the roof.

"Hunted? Hiding your past? What are you talking about?" Temari asked curiously. I looked away, starting to stand up when Temari grabbed my forearm roughly, holding me in place. "What the hell are you talking about, Hasu!" She demanded.

"Only four people have ever known about my whole past, and only two of them are still alive. Asuma and his father were two, now only Inoichi and Tsunade know... I didn't even want them to know. I didn't want anyone to know... Asuma was like a temporary father to me. He let me stay in his house while I was in Konoha, and I ate with him and his team all the time. Eventually I ended up going to my own apartment, but only for the month before you guys came... It isn't right that people just keep dying and dying... I can't go near the Land of Water because I'm hunted by Kirigakure Hunter-Nins for having a Kekkei Genkai, even though I'm not a missing-nin... Now I'm being hunted by my own-" I cut myself off, roughly shaking Temari's hand from my arm.

"Hunted by what, Hasu?" Temari growled angrily, and I glared at her.

"It's none of your damn business, Temari!" I shouted.

"Hey! What's the matter with you two?" Kankurou demanded from the window we'd climbed onto the roof from. I looked at him, wondering when he'd gotten there.

"I'm sick of her hiding things from us!" Temari yelled, pointing at me, and I glared at her.

"They're my things to hide! It isn't like I don't have reasons for doing this!" I spat, and Temari glared back at me.

"Don't you get it, Hasu? You're like family to us!" She said, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah? Well my last _family_ abandoned me for having a damn blood limit I got _from_ them!" I hissed furiously.

"We would never do that to you. When will you start trusting us?" Temari demanded, sounding almost hurt. I looked to the side, biting my lip. "No! You _will_ trust us, Hasu! We've more then earned it." She said sternly. I chewed my lip worriedly before turning around.

"I'll be back by nightfall... All of you, including Gaara, need to be here when I get back..." I said softly before jumping away, running towards the mountain I went to every few weeks.


	10. Chapter 9

**Parts of this chapter I don't really like, but this chapter is really, seriously important. So is next chapter. They really emphasize where this story is headed. Can you say _'crazy'_? Cause that's what about to happen. Nutso. Also, sorry for posting it soooo late. My parents seperated and I moved out with my dad in early April, like two weeks before my b-day. I left just after posting Chapter 8 to hang out with my Mom and brother, and ended up spending the night there. Didn't get home until like two hours ago, and I went through and edited all the chapters after this one and spell checked them. Good news! I finished the story, so the chapters will be coming in every day! Still, I'd love to see some reviews. **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own. Thank goodness, right?**

* * *

"Hasu-chan!" A boys voice shouted excitedly as he flung himself from the doorway at me. I stumbled backwards, struggling to pry the boy from me.

"Ouch! Yukio, don't you know better by now?" I chided lightly, and the boy pulled away, pouting despite the happiness in his purple eyes. "One of these days you're going to tackle me off this cliff." I joked, hugging him gently.

"Maybe if you came by more often, I'd be less happy to see you, Hasu-chan." Yukio pouted as I pulled away, lightly swatting at him. He was fifteen years old, only a year younger then me, with dark brown hair and eyes that matched my own dark purple. However, he was very thin and a few inches shorter then myself, standing at just under five feet, being extremely small for his age.

"I'm sorry, Yukio... But you know what?" I asked, grinning at him.

"What?" Yukio asked excitedly.

"You get to go pack up your things... You're moving in with me for a few weeks." I said happily, and Yukio bounced with excitement.

"Yay!" He said before running into the make-shift house. I knew he wouldn't take long to get everything, as he only had a few things other then clothes. _Am I doing the right thing..? She'll know where to find him, and it could be trouble for Suna..._ I worried as I heard Yukio moving around in the house-like structure. _No... She wouldn't be stupid enough to take on an entire village. Determined or not, she's no fool... she'll attack when she gets us away from everyone else._ Yukio bounced out of the make-shift house cheerfully, a bag hung over his shoulder.

"Ready?" I asked with a smile, and he nodded. I crouched down. "Hop on, then." I said encouragingly, and Yukio climbed onto my back in a piggyback style. Even though he wasn't much smaller then me, he was very weak so I carried him whenever we went anywhere together. With that, I began to climb down the mountain, using chakra to make the trip quicker.

"What's it like?" Yukio asked excitedly.

"Well, I live with the Kazekage and his siblings." I said.

"Really! You're so amazing, Hasu-chan!" Yukio chirped, and I laughed quietly.

"Anyways, there are a few things to remember. Gaara is the Kazekage... He has crimson hair like me, and light blue eyes. Also, he's really not very friendly, but he isn't mean. He doesn't show his emotions very well, because he used to be hated by everyone. He doesn't trust people easily, and doesn't know how to open up... I'm sure he'll be nice to you, but he won't give you hugs or smiles. Temari is the oldest of the siblings, and the female. She has blond hair and blue eyes, and is really stern but also really nice if she likes you, so try to get on her good side."

"Kankurou is the middle child, also a boy like Gaara. He's a year older then me, and very rude... He'll probably be mean to you, Yukio, but you know what? You just tell me when he is, and then you can watch me beat him up for it." I said with a smile over my shoulder, and Yukio smiled brightly back.

* * *

It was just after nightfall when we reached the house. I carefully lowered Yukio from my back, stretching slowly. "All right... Follow me, Yukio... Be polite and nice." I said with an encouraging smile, and Yukio smiled back. I opened the door to the house walking in with Yukio behind me. I closed the door, holding a hand towards Yukio's back. "Hand me that." I said, and he nodded, taking the heavy bag and handing it to me. I was surprised at the heaviness, and scowled at Yukio. "You know better then you carry around things this heavy... You should have told me." I scolded with a sigh.

"Sorry..." Yukio said sheepishly.

"It's fine... come on." I said, walking towards the living room. I peeked around the corner to find Kankurou was sitting on the couch with Gaara, and Temari was pacing. She spotted me, a smile forming on her face. It faded as soon as Yukio stepped out beside me. All three siblings stared at us curiously. "Right... Gaara, Temari, Kankurou... This is Yukio. Yukio, this is Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou." I pointed to each of them respectively. "Call Gaara 'Kazekage-sama' for the time being." I added to Yukio in a whisper.

"Um... Who is he?" Temari asked hesitantly, and Gaara was carefully observing our similarities.

"He's my brother." I said seriously, and Kankurou leaned forward with interest while Temari's eyes widened a notch. Only Gaara didn't seem shocked, but he never seemed much anything but calm anyways. "Come here..." I said to Yukio, guiding him to the armchair. He jumped up on it, looking tiny compared to the massive chair, while I sat on the armrest with my legs crossed and my arms folded across my chest. "You said you wanted no more secrets... Well, this is just the beginning. Might as well make yourselves comfortable." I said to them all without any expression, my voice calm. Temari hesitantly sat on the other couch in the room, all the siblings turned towards me though Gaara was simply watching my expression.

"Yukio and I come from the Namichi Clan... The name alone makes you think it was a rather cruel clan." **(AN: Namichi - Waves of Blood) **"However, it wasn't. Well, from what I know that is... Our mother was banished from the clan for being heartless and committing crimes. She abandoned her name and family and married a poor unsuspecting man who became our father. She had me, and then a year later she had Yukio. When my 'father' saw me use my Kekkei Genkai, my mother left me on the streets. However, I refused to leave my baby brother behind, and kidnapped him for lack of a better term."

"_Mother dearest_-" I began in a mocking tone, "decided she had enough things to deal with then us, so she never even tried to get Yukio back. My father realized the Kekkei Genkai came from my mother, but before he could tell anyone, she made up a story about it being him and played the heartbroken and betrayed role. She convinced the entire village we were living in that he was the one with the Kekkei Genkai gene, and so he was killed... Then she left, and so did we so we wouldn't be killed as well."

"We went to Kiri, where a woman named Kiyomi found us and took pity on us. She took us in and raised us until I was eleven and Yukio was ten... I used my Kekkei Genkai during a mission to protect my teammate, and Kiyomi was killed for it when word got out I had one... I took Akashia and Yukio and we left. For a long time, I had Yukio hide in the mountains... Where he's been up until now." I said with an apologetic look towards Yukio, who just smiled lightly at me.

"Wait, why were you hiding him?" Kankurou butted in, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Because I'm not the only one being hunted... Someone is trying to find him for his Kekkei Genkai." I said with disgust towards her actions. "She's back, and is trying to get him. I know who it is, and that's why I went to find her at Kiyomi's grave. She tried to convince me to hand him over, and I told her I'd kill her if she came near us. She knows she wouldn't stand a chance against us."

"You're clan has a second Kekkei Genkai?" Temari questioned.

"Yeah... It's how our clan got our name. It's a very powerful power that only shows up in one person every few generations... I'd rather not go into great detail about it, as it isn't something I'll ever be willing to let Yukio use... It will probably kill him to use it." I said with a sigh. "Anyways, with this woman trying to find him, I wanted to see if he could move in with us so I could keep an eye on him, until she's dealt with anyways. She wouldn't dare try to attack a village. Even if she was stupid enough to try, Yukio and I can kill her and everyone she brings within less then two minutes." I said with a sigh, and Gaara gave me a small nod. I smiled softly, lifting the heavy bag from my lap and offering it to Yukio.

"Take this into my room and start unpacking. It's the third door to the left." I instructed, and Yukio nodded, bouncing happily to his feet as he took the bag and headed towards the room. With a sigh of relief, I turned myself on the arm rest and collapsed into the chair, my legs draped over the arm rest I'd been sitting on while my head was resting against the opposite arm rest.

"Are you all right, Hasu?" Temari questioned, and I sighed.

"No, not really. This bitch is trying to kill me and kidnap my brother, and I just made Suna a target if she decides to do something." I said, irritated at myself.

"But you just said you could kill them." Kankurou grumbled.

"I can. Doesn't mean I don't feel bad for dragging you all into this." I said quietly, looking at Gaara. He glanced towards the door, then back at me before standing up and leaving the house. "I'll be back soon. Please keep an eye on Yukio." I said as I stood as well. "Oh, and Kankurou? One mark... One tiny mark, and I will kill you. Brutally." I said with a smile before leaving the house as well. I jumped to the rooftop, knowing that's where Gaara would be. He was there, looking at me without any expression as I walked over, stopping in front of him. "What is it?" I asked with a frown.

"Will you travel to Konoha to pay your respects?" Gaara asked emotionlessly, and I shook my head.

"Not yet, but I will soon." I said as I looked out at the night sky, Gaara doing the same. "With my luck, the day I decide to, Konoha will get attacked and I'll be to blame." I said with a soft laugh. "I worry, sometimes." I said softly. "I worry about my brother, about this village... About you." I sighed, and Gara turned his head slightly towards me. "The fact that you don't have your defense automatically anymore worries me. I know you can still use it, but it's different." Hesitantly, I glanced down and inched my hand towards his, gently grasping it. He tensed, as to be expected, but slowly relaxed, looking up at the stars again.

I smiled softly before turning my stare up to the night sky as well.

* * *

The next week I was walking to the Kazekage building from breakfast. The week had been completely uneventful, minus a few head slaps to Kankurou for saying or doing something wrong around Yukio. I'd eaten breakfast with the four of them while Gaara was doing paperwork at the Kazekage building, which is where I was headed to help him. I nodded to Baki as I nearly ran into him walking into Gaara's office. He walked right past me, and I frowned as I closed the door behind him. "What's going on?" I asked Gaara as I turned to face his desk.

"It seems like Orochimaru has been killed. Uchiha Sasuke killed him, and has supposedly made his own group to take down Uchiha Itachi." Gaara said, and I frowned deeply.

"This isn't good...What's Konoha doing about it?" I asked as I walked in front of his desk.

"They sent a team of shinobi to find and capture Itachi before Sasuke can kill him." Gaara answered without emotion and I nodded.

"Well, I guess we'll get the news soon enough. I'm relieved Orochimaru's dead, though... I don't ever want a repeat of our last encounter." I said, wincing at the memory.

"Even if he lived, we wouldn't let him get near you again." Gaara said, and I blinked at him before nodding with a small smile.

"Yeah." I said with a smile. I watched Gaara's expressionless face as he looked at his cup of tea strangely. "What is it?" I asked as he frowned, the paper he'd been holding slipping from his fingers. I rushed to his side just as his eyes shut and his body slumped forward, wrapping my arm around his chest before he hit his desk. "Gaara!" I shouted in alarm, using all my strength to pull him from his chair and lay him flat on the floor. "Shit!" I thought, alarmed to see he was barely breathing.

"Gaara? Gaara!" I shouted, trying to shake him back to consciousness. "Baki!" I called frantically, praying he was still outside the office. "Baki!" I called as loud as I could, and a few seconds later he walked in. His eyes widened when he saw Gaara, immediately running over and crouching beside him on the opposite side of where I knelt.

"What happened?" He demanded, glaring at me.

"We were just talking as he drank his tea and he suddenly passed out!" I said fearfully, ignoring any urge to leap to my own defense. Baki reached up immediately and snatched the cup of tea, sniffing it suspiciously.

"Poison..." He muttered angrily, handing me the cup.

"Poison!" I repeated his words with wide eyes.

"Yes... He didn't drink a lot of the tea before being affected, which could be good or bad... It means it was very strong, but also that he didn't take much of it. Get that to the medics while I take him to the hospital." Baki instructed and I nodded, jumping to my feet and dashing to the medics.

* * *

"Damn it." I cursed as I paced in the hallway.

"Stop panicking." Baki scolded from where he calmly sat, and I whipped around to glare at him.

"I'm not panicking!" I shouted, and Baki raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm fuming." I corrected him curtly. "I thought he didn't have to worry about the village's prejudice now. Hasn't he proven himself worthy of their trust and respect!" I demanded as I slammed my fist into one of the many chairs in the hallway, wincing as I punched right through it, feeling the splinters and blood on my hands.

"Calm yourself down, Hasu. Whoever did this must still hold a grudge against him. He did many terrible things when he was younger." Baki pointed out unhelpfully.

"Or someone paid them to do it..." I said, narrowing my eyes. "Who the hell brought him the tea?" I demanded quickly as I tore my hand from the hole I'd punched into the chair.

"It was Kashike, one of the younger Chuunins." Baki said, frowning. Without another word, I ran out of the hospital, ignoring Baki's shouts of protest. I ran across the rooftops as I made my way as quick as I could to the house I knew Kashike was in. I'd spoken with him before, so I knew where he lived. I reached the house in minutes with how fast I was running, and slammed my body into the door so hard it flew open. My shoulder screamed in protest as I marched into the house.

"What the he-" The orange haired man began angrily before he registered my anger and froze, his blue eyes widening with fear.

"Why?" I demanded with an icy calmness as I stood inches from his body.

"I... Why wh-what?" He asked fearfully.

"Why did you poison his tea?" I clarified, anger seeping into my icy tone.

"I-I was t-told to!" He stuttered out, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"And just who told you to, and why would you obey their demands?" I asked icily.

"A wo-woman... S-she told me t-to put the p-poison in h-his t-tea..." The seventeen year old Chuunin stuttered, his blue eyes wide as saucers.

"And why did you do it?" I demanded angrily as a shard of glass suddenly appeared dangerously close to his right eye.

"He... He..." Kashike nervously tried to speak.

"Why!" I shouted at his face.

"He deserves it!" Kashike shouted at me, his fear forgotten momentarily. "He killed people for no reason other then to satisfy his bloodlust!" Kashike shouted angrily. "He almost killed me, and seriously hurt my best friend!"

"Eleven years ago." I spat before narrowing my eyes. "The woman who gave you the poison. What did she look like?" I asked coldly as Kashike registered the danger he was in again.

"She had black hair and purple eyes." He said nervously.

"Black hair?" I questioned thoughtfully.

"Y-yeah... it was kind of reddish in the sunlight." Kashike said hopefully as my anger no longer filled my tone.

"I see... Well, I'll deal with her later." I said coldly before summoning more glass around his body, at least a hundred of them surrounding every inch of his body. Kashike froze, his eyes huge and filled with terror.

"Please... Please! No!" He shouted pleadingly and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"_You_ wouldn't have given _Gaara_ the chance to live... Why should _I_ give _you_ that courtesy?" I asked coldly before all the glass shards below his neck suddenly plunged into his body without killing his heart. Kashike fell to the ground, his eyes now filled with pain as he let out a shriek of agony. "When you show no mercy..." I said as the glass around his body tore from it before disappearing, initiating another cry of pain. "Expect no mercy." I spoke as glass shards appeared around his face. "Because you are unworthy of it..." The glass flew into his head and neck in multiple places, cutting off another scream as they killed him, piercing his brain. "...So I shall give none." I finished calmly as I turned around, leaving the house.

_That bitch... I knew she had something up her sleeve, but... This is possibly the dumbest move she could have made. I bet she doesn't even realize the hole she just dug for herself._ I thought as I ran back to the hospital. _The hole that I'm going to turn into her grave._ I narrowed my eyes as I walked back into the hallway, calmly sitting across from Baki in one of the chairs that I _hadn't_ previously broken. He watched me carefully as I pulled a recorder out of my pocket and tossed it to him. "Perpetrator caught and justice served." I said calmly, Baki narrowing his eyes at me.

"You killed him?" He questioned disapprovingly.

"Yes, I did. Where're Kankurou and Temari?" I asked curiously.

"I sent one of my assistants to get them and tell them what happened. You know you did that illegally, right? You killed a man without him facing trial and will be arrested." Baki said in a stressed tone.

"No, I won't." I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm not an idiot, Baki. I know better then to go around killing people without any good and legal reason. That there is your legal reason." I said, pointing at the tape he'd caught. "Any news from the doctors?"

"Yeah. The poison was strong, but he only drank a small amount of it. They are working on an antidote as we speak, using the left over poison from the tea." Baki said as I plucked pieces of wood out of my fist, which was bleeding from when I hit the chair. Bleeding enough that blood was dripping onto the ground from my fingertips. "What are you thinking?" Baki asked suspiciously as he saw the thoughtful look on my face.

"I'm debating how to deal with the person behind this." I said with a sigh, leaning forward slightly.

"Do you know who it was?" Baki questioned.

"Yes. She had Kashike poison him while she stayed away so I wouldn't kill her immediately... Probably her mistake. It would be easier to beat me if I wasn't thinking... Not that she'd be able to anyways." I sighed, rubbing my temple. "She has no skill. All she has is manipulation. I can take care of her pretty much on my own... Do we have any shinobi who specialize in water jutsu?" I asked Baki, and he frowned at me.

"No. Since there are almost no water sources around here, it isn't possible to use water jutsu's most of the time." Baki said and I sighed.

"Right. I feel stupid." I grumbled under my breath.

"Cause 'ya are." Kankurou said as he sat down next to me, Temari sitting a few seats from Baki, looking worried. As the three of them conversed, I leaned back in the chair and let my thoughts overpower my mind again. _I wonder how I should go about it, though... I'm not certain of where she's staying, but there aren't a huge amount of places she could be... She'd be in or near an oasis, for sure. And probably one relatively close to here. Should I wait for Gaara to be healed, though? What if she tries something while he's here?_ I wrapped my bleeding hand around the armrest as I narrowed my eyes in anger.

_I should take care of her before she can try anything._ I decided, standing up abruptly.

"Where are you going?" Temari asked with a hint of anger, probably unhappy that I was leaving before I knew Gaara was okay.

"Don't follow me." I said as I left the hallway, hearing Temari's angry talking fading away. _All right... she's probably in an oasis nearby._ I thought as I left the hospital, heading towards the gates.

* * *

**See! Crazy Hasu or what! This just goes to show how much things are really effecting her. More happens later, but don't worry. Hasu doesn't go totally nutso. I promise ^^**


	11. Chapter 10

**I'm sorry, guys! I've been busy as heck. My dad's going to the doctors today to find out if he needs back surgery, and I've been taking care of him the last few days. To top it off, I've been sick since friday and it's just getting worse as the days pass. Anyways, here's the next chapter. I would like to seriously thank the people who read this story. It means alot to me, even if only a couple people have reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Naruto. But I do still own Hasu! :D**

_

* * *

_

Found you.

I thought with satisfaction as I raced across the sand. I slowed to a stop, kneeling down and slamming my palms into the ground. Immediately, massive amounts of glass shards exploded from the ground, flying up towards the sky and rending anyone caught in the area. I narrowed my eyes as I heard thrilled laughter, knowing that she'd moved the glass away from her body. "Impressive, Hasu-chan." A soft, feminine voice purred, and I narrowed my eyes.

"So you managed to fight off my glass attacks one time... I wonder how long you can keep it up." I spat as glass shards swarmed the dark haired woman with dark purple eyes. I growled in irritation as I couldn't push the glass shards any closer to her body, as she was repelling them.

"So rude, Hasu-chan... Didn't that bitch raise you better then that?" The woman sneered, more glass shards swarming her.

"She raised me well up until she was murdered." I growled back as I tried to inch the glass towards her body.

"Yes, that reminds me... How does it feel to know you're the reason a loved one is dead?" The woman asked with a smile.

"You tell me. I hear you know a lot about that subject...Oh... That's right. You can't love. You're just a heartless little bitch." I said, glad to see the anger in her eyes. Suddenly, glass shards appeared around me, flying at my flesh. I growled as I used my power to push the glass away from me, but the shards hovered around my body, just as mine were around hers. "My bad. Did I hit a nerve? Was it the inability to love, the heartlessness, or the bitch part that pissed you off?"

"Apparently that woman forgot to instill some manners into you... Allow me to teach you." The woman said with a sinister smile, and I felt the glass inching towards my body. I smiled tauntingly at the woman.

"You forget... My Kekkei Genkai has always been stronger then yours." I hissed as the glass around me disappeared, and the shards around the woman starting getting closer to her.

"Hah! You're nothing but a weak little child." The woman spat at me.

"Says the person who has to get others to do things for her... Couldn't risk your own life by poisoning him yourself, could you? You knew I would kill you... and I'm doing it now anyways. Maybe you should have thought that plan through, hm?" I taunted as the shards continued inching towards her.

"Oh I did." The woman smirked at me, and I felt a sharp pain as a blade slid through my right side, between my ribs and right hip. I jumped away, feeling the blade tear my flesh at the action. I turned to see a man with black hair and dark red eyes.

"Your new toy?" I scoffed, ignoring the searing pain in my side. "You underestimate me." I hissed, two bubbles of glass forming around the woman and the man. I glared furiously at the two of them as the glass bubbles floated until they were almost touching, a few feet in front of me. "You'll be first." I said to the man. "Watch and learn your fate." I said as I held my palm out towards the glass bubble that held the man. Slowly, I started to clench my hand into a fist. As I did, the glass bubble shrunk with my movement, the man's eyes widening in fear. He started banging on the glass, crying out for the woman's help before I made a fist, the glass bubble immediately shrinking to nothing, crushing his body so badly there was nothing but blood left behind when the glass disappeared.

"How cruel of you, Hasu-chan..." The woman in the bubble said with amusement.

"I always wondered how someone so weak as you could birth such strong children." I mused as I began to do the same to the woman, despite her trying to control the glass and make it disappear.

"Weak?" The woman spat. "You are the weak one, Hasu..."

"Says the person I'm about to kill...?" I questioned pointedly as the glass continued to close in on her.

"Yes... Because that's all you're good for, Hasu. Blindly killing people for no reason other then anger..." The woman sneered.

"You are wrong." I said as I narrowed my eyes.

"Look at yourself! You just crushed a man alive and didn't bat an eye at the sight of it. You didn't hesitant at his screams! You didn't even care about his blood covering the ground. And you call me heartless?" The woman let out a laugh, not even caring that she was forced into a crouch by the shrinking glass. "You are nothing more then a murderous fool, Hasu. You are nothing more then an angry child with parent issues who goes around killing people to make yourself feel better! You are nothing more then trash, Hasu!" The woman shouted, her tone turning from amused and sneering to furious as the glass closed in on her. "Nothing!" She screamed before I clenched my hand into a fist, and then there was nothing but blood, a few flying specks hitting me on the cheek, forehead, and arm.

I fell into a kneel, clutching my bleeding side with my left hand. I stared at the blood, surprised to find my eyes were watering at the sight of her blood on the ground. "Damn... Even in death you cause me nothing but sorrow." I said sadly before looking down at my injury. _This is bleeding pretty bad, and it hurts like hell too..._ I thought as I suppressed a sigh. I stood up, still holding my injury, and tugged my purple Suna hitai-ate from my bicep with my teeth. I pulled my hand from my injury and took the hitai-ate from between my teeth. I tied it around my waist tightly so the metal part of the cloth was covering the wound tightly.

I stood up, staring at the blood. "Goodbye, mother..." Turning away, I made my way to the Oasis only a mile away.

* * *

"How'd you say you got this?" The woman asked suspiciously as she started to stitch my side back together.

"I never said... and last I checked, your job is to put me back together, not find out how I got torn apart like a nosy little gossip whore." I said with a glare towards the medic, who scowled at me as she tied the final stitch.

"You kunoichi are all alike! Bitchy and nothing but whores!" The woman spat as she stepped away from me.

"Oh really? That's funny. You really should go tell the Kazekage all about how the person sharing his house is just a bitchy whore." I said with amusement, the woman paling slightly before recovering.

"You are such a liar. What, you think telling me lies about you living with the _Kazekage_ will make me respect you?" The woman hissed, and I smirked at her, standing up.

"You know, you really shouldn't call people such hateful things..." I said innocently as I plucked a kunai from my thigh pouch. The woman froze, her eyes widening. "Someone might just..." I began as I started to walk past her. "Snap." I finished as I threw the kunai lazily to my side. The kunai tore through the air, barely nicking the flesh just above the woman's bust before stabbing into the wall. "Have a _lovely_ day." I purred as I left the room. _What a bitch. I hope I scared some sense into her. Ah well..._ I mused as I left the crappy, run down hospital of the oasis town.

_I need to get back to Suna... I can't help but worry about Gaara. _I thought worriedly as I ran towards Suna, leaving the oasis. I reached Suna in only two hours, a half hour longer then it took me to get from Suna to the oasis. My stitched up injury slowed me down. Along the way, I'd tied my hitai-ate back around my bicep, the blood stain on it visible as I walked towards the house. I figured I would be nice and make some edible food for Gaara before going to the hospital. If he couldn't eat it, I'm sure Kankurou would down it immediately.

I walked into the house to find, to my surprise, that Temari and Kankurou were sitting in the living room. "Where the hell'd you go!" Temari shouted when she saw me, and I blinked at her.

"Uh... Why are you guys here?" I asked, confused.

"Because he's fine. They cured it, hardly without any problem. It was a fairly common poison, and he's already almost completely recovered." Kankurou explained.

"What! But I've only been gone, like... Five hours." I muttered.

"Gone where! Where were you!" Temari snapped at me, and I looked at her.

"I had to take care of something." I said simply.

"What was so important that you left to do it when Gaara was in the hospital? I thought you loved him!" Temari growled at me, and I glared at her angrily.

"I do!" I hissed. "I left to kill the bitch that was behind this whole thing!" I spat angrily.

"What is the matter with you! You killed two people today, and for what? Revenge!" Temari shouted, and I glared furiously at her.

"It was more then just revenge, Temari! They were targeting me! They were attacked Gaara to get to me!" I yelled back, Temari and I practically nose to nose.

"Oh really? And who thought you were important enough to hurt that they attacked my brother?" Temari demanded loudly, and without thinking, I slapped her. Hard across the face, Kankurou gaping stunned across the room.

"Now then, if you don't _fucking_ mind." I seethed, turning away from Temari to face the stunned Kankurou. "Where is Gaara?"

"Somewhere around here..." Kankurou said, his eyes wide. Before Temari could retaliate from my slap, I left the room. I heard her furiously talking to Kankurou as I walked towards Gaara's room. I walked in, closing the door behind me before letting out a sigh.

"Who was it?" Gaara asked emotionlessly from the wall opposite of the door. He was leaning against it, his arms folded across his chest. I rubbed my temple as I calmed myself down.

"It was my mother. She's the one who's after Yukio, and she targeted you to hurt me so she could get him." I said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. I suppose this is just one of the many drawbacks of not having Shukaku." Gaara said, and I frowned at him.

"You mean Shukaku made you immune to poisons?" I asked curiously, and Gaara nodded. I sighed, walking over to him until I was brushing against him. I lowered my head so that I was resting my forehead against his shoulder. Gaara didn't tense when I touched him, which I smiled inwardly at. After a few moments, Gaara unfolded his arms and put them around me, and I moved closer to him so that my chest was against his. "Gaara... You know I love you... Do you love me?"

"...Yes." Gaara said quietly.

"I'm glad." I whispered into his shoulder as my heart soared at his words. "I won't ever leave so long as you want me around, Gaara. I swear."

"Kamiko." Gaara said, and I pulled my head from his shoulder to look at him. "...Thank you." He said emotionlessly after a moment, though his eyes were warm. I smiled at him before I stood on my toes, kissing him on the lips. After a moment, I pulled away to see his lips were upturned almost invisibly at me. "We recieved news from Konoha... Shikamaru and his team went out with Kakashi's team and took care of the Akatsuki members who killed Asuma.' Gaara said as we started to walk out of the room, separating from the hug.

"Is everyone uninjured?" I asked as we walked into the living room.

"Yes. Shikamaru sent in a letter requesting you to go to Konoha to pay your respects." Gaara said emotionlessly. "Also... Another Akatsuki member has been killed."

"Who?" Kankurou asked from the sofa he was laying on.

"...Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke killed him, it seems." Gaara said, and I blinked in surprise.

"Seriously? Man... Just three years ago he was saving people for a living, and now he's going around killing people..." I muttered with a sigh.

"Are you impressed or disappointed?" Kankurou asked grumpily.

"Both. Impressed with his skill, disappointed that he's using it like he is... I will go to Konoha, though. In fact, I'm going to pack now so I can leave today." I said thoughtfully.

"You should take Temari. She'll want to see Shikamaru, even if she won't admit it." Kankurou suggested, and I suppressed another sigh.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. By the way, where is Yukio?" I asked curiously.

"He's out with Baki. Baki wanted to teach him a few long-range jutsu's." Kankurou said with a bit of amusement.

"Oh. So long as it doesn't include any close range fighting. Yukio isn't very strong physically. I don't think Temari would want to go since I'm going... Besides, I need to have some time by myself. It'll be nice to catch up with old friends, though." I said with a sigh. "I'm going to go pack. Let Yukio know where I've gone." I said, flashing Gaara a smile as I turned to leave.

* * *

"Asuma you bloody idiot." I said as I knelt in front of his grave. I'd set a small but beautiful wildflower I'd found on the way to Konoha onto the gravestone. "You go off and get yourself killed..." I chide him before narrowing my eyes sadly. "It sucks that you died, Asuma-sempai. You were the closest friend I had in Konoha... It was because of you I was able to stay as long as I did." I said as I traced his name with my fingertips. "Sheesh... I almost feel bad. I'm practically standing on your corpse here. How much more disrespectful can I get?" I joked quietly.

"I'm sure he doesn't mind." I turned to see a very pregnant Kurenai standing there, my eyes widening. I gaped at her a moment before looking at the gravestone.

"Asuma-sempai! You knocked up Kurenai-sempai! How rude of you! Did you at least marry her first?" I teased as I looked back to Kurenai as she knelt down beside me. She reached out to set the flowers she'd been holding down on the grave, and I smiled lightly at the gold band on her finger. "So he did, then?" I asked with a smile, and Kurenai looked at me with a small smile of her own.

"Yes. It was a private ceremony when we were on a mission together..." Kurenai said as she smiled lovingly at the gravestone.

"Aw... Who knew you were a romantic, Asuma-sempai." I teased as I looked at the stone.

"He always was... I was lucky to see that side." Kurenai said softly.

"You hear that, Asuma-sempai? She thinks she's the lucky one." I said with a small laugh. "We both know you were the lucky one, right Asuma-sempai?" Kurenai laughed quietly.

"Why are you here, Hasu?" Kurenai asked me.

"Ah... I missed the funeral. Shikamaru asked the Kazekage if I could be given time to come here. Bad timing too, but I came anyways... I owe it to Asuma-sempai." I said with a shrug.

"Why was it bad timing?" Kurenai asked, and I looked at her.

"Well... Someone poisoned Gaara. Oh, he's fine now." I said quickly at Kurenai's look of alarm. "But I had to find and... deal with... the person behind it. I did it without much trouble, but..." I looked at the grave with a sigh. "But now Gaara's fine." I repeated with a small smile.

"...You love him, don't you?" Kurenai asked gently, and I blinked at her questioningly. "I can see it in your smile." She said with a sad smile of her own. "It's the same one I used to give Asuma."

"I do, Kurenai-sempai. I can very, very happily say that he feels the same. Who knew someone as dysfunctional as I am would get the stoic Gaara to fall for her, eh?" I joked lightly.

"Oh, Hasu. You are a much better person then you believe." Kurenai said with a smile.

"So people keep telling me. I think everyone's crazy. I'm the only sane one left in this world!" I cried out dramatically, and Kurenai let out a small laugh.

"What's that?" She asked suddenly, looking sideways towards Konoha, as the burial area was located behind the Hokage Monument on the large flat mountain. I blinked, looking to the side to see large pillars of smoke floating from Konoha.

"What the hell?" I asked as I stood up from my kneeling position. Kurenai struggled to stand as well, and I grabbed her arm to help her. "Come on, let's go look." I said hesitantly, and Kurenai nodded. We walked the distance from the burial grounds to the monument as quick as we could without running, as I didn't want Kurenai to hurt her baby. In the time it took, another pillar of smoke had formed. Finally we reached the cliff beside the first Hokage's monument, looking out at Konoha.

"What happened!" Kurenai gasped out.

"I don't know... They are leading the children and civilians into the shelter. Kurenai, you need to go with them." I said urgently. She looked like she was about to protest until I glanced at her belly pointedly.

"All... Alright, but Hasu..." Kurenai said as she started to head towards the shelter. "Be careful."

"I will. I'll find Shikamaru and make sure he's safe too." I promised before running down the mountain and into Konoha.

* * *

"Shikamaru!" I shouted as I jumped down in front of the Chuunin. As my feet hit the ground, I stumbled forward only to be caught by Shikamaru grabbing my waist. I shuddered in pain as he touched my reopened and bleeding injury on my side.

"Hasu? What the hell are you doing here? And what's going on?" Shikamaru asked urgently as he kneeled down, lowering me into a crouch as well.

"Bleeding to death." I said lightly. "You wanted me to come pay my respects. I came here and immediately went to Asuma-sempai's grave. I talked with Kurenai and we noticed the smoke... Don't worry, I took her to the shelter before coming to find you." I said with a wince. "Oh, hey there Shikaku-sempai." I said with a pained smile, and he nodded at me politely, his face stressed.

"It's Pein." Shikaku said. "Akatsuki are attacking."

"Akatsuki! Why?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Naruto. They're after Naruto, but he isn't here. He's training to be a sage." Shikamaru said, and Shikaku tensed slightly.

"Don't worry, Shikaku-sempai. They won't even get it out of me if it costs me my life." I said with a smile.

"Let's hope it doesn't." Shikamaru sighed as Shikaku nodded at me.

"All right... Ow!" I hissed with a wince as I glared at my bleeding side.

"What happened?" Shikaku asked as he crouched at my side. Carefully, he grabbed the hem of my shirt and rolled it up enough to see the bleeding gash. "It's deep."

"I feel that." I said with another wince. "My mother is a crazy bitch." I offered for an excuse.

"Your mother?" Shikamaru asked in confusion.

"Yeah, the one that abandoned me as a kid. Tried to kill Gaara to hurt me cause she's fucking twisted like that, so I killed her. She managed to get her buddy to run me through with a freaking god damn sword first though. Fucking nutcase." I muttered irritably. "Man... This thing is gonna kill me before any Akatsuki asshole does."

"You cuss way too much, Hasu. It isn't very womanly." Shikamaru scolded as Shikaku inspected the injury.

"What? Am I being _troublesome_?" I joked, wincing when Shikaku started to nudge the wound before he stood.

"There isn't anything we can do about it without a medic." Shikaku said.

"Ah, don't worry. I won't bleed out. The bleeding is already slowing... I think." I said before looking around. "This is insane... Who is Pain?" I asked, looking between the father and son.

"The Akatsuki member who killed Jiraiya." Shikamaru said.

"Eh! Jiraiya is dead! Damn it! People, you need to tell me these things!" I shouted, my eyes wide.

"Yeah... Anyways, Pain killed Jiraiya and is now attacking us." Shikaku explained.

"But wait... Surely we could kill just one person?" I asked, confused at this point.

"Pain is seven different people." Shikamaru said. "I'm not sure how it's happening, but that's how it is."

"This is... insane..." I breathed as I looked around, observing the destruction.

"An understatement." Shikamaru said, and Shikaku nodded.

"What's going on?" I asked in confusion as I saw something, or someone, fly high above Konoha.

"I'm not sure... Is that Pain?" Shikaku asked, but before anyone could answer, a massive blast sent everything in Konoha into destruction. I was launched backwards through the air from the shockwave, landing hard on my back. I watched with wide eyes as a large boulder of rubble flew towards Shikamaru, quickly flinging myself towards him. I knocked Shikamaru away as the rubble barreled through the air towards me. I heard a crunch before everything went black.


	12. Chapter 11

**And here's chapter 11. Please, please, please review, guys... I really appreciate them, and it dampens my spirit when I don't get any. -sigh-**

**I do not own Naruto, nor will I ever. Masashi Kishimoto owns all of Naruto.**

* * *

I looked around the darkness, my eyes narrowed dangerously as I searched the abyss for any sign of life. I frowned as I heard a whispering, straining my ears to hear what the words were. I couldn't make anything out until the whispering started to get louder, very slowly. I listened to the words, still unable to make them out, but I realized it was singing. My eyes widened as I recognized the melody that was being sung. I spun around, my eyes wildly searching the abyss as the words got slowly louder until I could make them out.

"Oh hell no."

* * *

"Shit... Hasu!" I heard Shikamaru say.

"We need to get the rock off her... Shikamaru, can you help?" I heard Shikaku ask.

"I can try." Shikamaru said before I heard both of them straining. "Is she alive?"

"I can't tell." Shikaku said in a stressed tone. I heard a crash, and both the father and son letting out a heavy breath. I felt a jolt of pain in my chest, a pained noise escaping my lips.

"Hasu?" Shikamaru asked, and I felt him put a hand on my shoulder, lightly shaking me.

"Fuck damn it!" I yelled as more pain hit me. I opened my deep purple eyes to see Shikamaru kneeling over me with an expression mixed between worry, relief, and seriousness. I winced in pain as my mind started to clear from the fog, realizing that almost all of the pain I was feeling was centered around my leg. "What the hell happened?"

"It was Pain... He destroyed Konoha. Katsuyu protected us as the last second, but you got hit by rubble... Ino." Shikamaru said, looking over his shoulder.

"I'm on it." I heard Ino's voice before she came into view. I saw her crouch by my leg, but I couldn't see it because of the angle I was laying.

"Inoichi and I went to help Naruto kill the last Pain, but he convinced us to let him handle it himself, so we came back here." Shikaku explained as he crouched on my other side.

"He must have killed Pain or something, because everyone Pain killed is coming back to life." Inoichi said from out of my line of sight.

"It was a jutsu... Pain resurrected everyone at the cost of his life..." Katsuyu said quietly, also out of my eyesight.

"Oh shit, so that wasn't some really fucked up and cruel dream?" I asked, my eyes widening. "I was dead!" I demanded, grabbing Shikamaru's collar an attempting to pull myself upright.

"Oi! Woman!" Shikamaru growled as he was almost pulled to the ground by my attempts, which were thwarted by Shikaku putting a hand on my chest and pushing me flat on the ground again.

"Stop moving around, Hasu, or you'll hurt yourself." Shikaku chided.

"Why doesn't my side hurt? And why is the pain in my leg fading?" I asked in confusion, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Katsuyu healed your side, and I'm healing your leg." Ino said from where she sat by my leg. _I should have realized that._

"Oh... Wait, Pain's been defeated? How long was I... dead?" I asked, frowning at Shikaku.

"About an hour." Inoichi answered for him, and I let out a sigh.

"I can't heal all of it. I'm sorry... Tsunade-shishou or Shizune will have to take care of it. Shizune is unconscious because she has such little chakra, though... It'll be a couple days before she can help you, and Tsunade-shishou can't be much better after using Katsuyu for so long..." Ino sighed.

"Don't worry about it... Damn it, Shikamaru. Did you break your leg?" I asked, and he scowled at me.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Hasu." He said.

"Sheesh. I push you away from certain death and you go and break your leg. There's no hope for you..." I said as Shikaku helped me sit up. I poked my bloodied leg experimentally before wincing in pain. "All right... That hurts." I said with a hiss of pain.

* * *

Four days later I was walking through the woods. Shizune had healed my leg a day ago, but I'd decided to stick around to help out for a bit. My right leg had a slightly painful, almost unnoticeable limp in it as it wasn't completely healed, but Shizune told me to walk around to help it heal right. So there I was, walking around, minding my own business. But, me being me, I had to walk in on two Kumogakure shinobi hitting Naruto. I knew why they were here, as I was with Shizune when the leader of the group had come to see Tsunade.

What I didn't know, though, was why the woman was beating up Naruto. I saw Sai about to jump in from the trees, but before he could, I ran forward and caught the woman's fist with my hand before it impacted with Naruto.

"What the hell?" The woman asked before narrowing her eyes. "Don't interfere. It's what he wants."

"Hasu, stay out of this." Naruto said, but I ignored him.

"Fine, if you're gonna interfere, I'll just hit you too!" The woman growled angrily, rearing her fist back. In an instant, my hand was beside her neck, a glass blade formed in my grasp and pressed against her throat. Her eyes widened as she froze.

"Now... You listen to me." I growled as Sai jumped down beside Naruto, saying something to him quickly. "I don't give a _damn_ that your PMSing or some shit, which must be the case if you have the _gall_ to come into Konoha and attack one of their shinobi. Whether or not they gave you permission to, that's reason enough to go to war right there. Need I remind you that Konoha is allied with another hidden village that is more then willing to join them in the fight? I don't care what the hell crawled up your ass and ate another hole in it, but you have _no_ right whatsoever to harm one of my friends or allies." I said icily and without emotion. The woman looked like she was about to say something when her partner grabbed her by the back of her vest.

I released her and lowered my glass blade as he pulled her away. "Karui, that's enough. She's right... Besides, even after all that, he wouldn't sell out his friend. He may be the enemy, but I like him." The man said.

"Listen to your partner. Besides, Konoha has already agreed to help you... and if Naruto won't, then I will personally. Come on." I said, jerking my head towards the woods.

"Hasu-" Naruto began, but I glared at him over my shoulder.

"I'll talk to you when I'm done... Let Sai fix you up. I'll find you in a few." I said before giving him a small wink to reassure him I wouldn't tell them anything to help them hurt Sasuke.

"Come on, then." Karui growled, and I nodded before leading them a few yards away into the woods. After we were a good distance away, we stopped.

"All right. I'm Hasu." I said formally, though I kept my voice and face completely void of emotion.

"I'm Omoi, this is Karui. What can you tell us about Sasuke?" The man, Omoi, asked calmly.

"I'm afraid I can't get too in depth, as I don't know the man personally. However, I can give you solid advice on fighting him. As an Uchiha, he holds the Sharingan, and can used it powerfully. He's highly skilled in Genjutsu, even more so then the average Sharingan user. It will be difficult to fight him, since you'll have to completely avoid eye contact. To do that," I continued, remembering tips I heard Asuma tell me before. "You'll have to fight by watching their feet. It's difficult, but possible... I suggest training together to learn how to get at least averagely skilled before trying to fight him."

"Also..." I said, narrowing my eyes seriously. "There's a high possibility he holds the more advanced and much more powerful version of the Sharingan. This version, the Mangekyo, lets him do a number of things. Since I haven't seen him fight, I can't be certain what he can do, but I can tell you what it's _possible_ he can do. There's a jutsu that allows the Mangekyo users to literally suck something, or someone, or just parts of someone, into another dimension. I've seen another Mangekyo user do this, and it apparently takes a lot of chakra."

"Also, Naruto witnessed Sasuke's brother, Itachi Uchiha, use another Mangekyo jutsu that allowed him to summon black flames that were easily a hundred times hotter then any other flame. Hot enough to burn through flesh and wall in an instant. Not only that, but the flames don't disappear as far as I know. They are apparently impossible the extinguish, and they spread slowly. Also, there's a highly powerful genjutsu that ends in an instant, but it feels like the genjutsu lasted days. It's powerful enough to cause permanent mental damage. Bad enough to put you in an unconscious state for the rest of your life." I said, the two shinobi listening intently.

"Like I said, you'll have to fight by watching his feet. It's difficult to do if you don't know their fighting style, so you'll have to observe as much as you can." I finished seriously, and Omoi nodded.

"Thank you for telling us this." Omoi said.

"Don't thank me. I think of Sasuke as a past ally, and it saddens me to see he has become what he has.. However, I have more sense then Naruto. I know that he is past being saved... I'm not telling you these things so you can kill him. I'm telling you this so you can avoid being killed by him... Good luck." I said before turning and jumping away. I limped slightly the entire way back into the tent Naruto was in, seeing that Sai was wrapping bandages on him, Kakashi and Yamato watching on. "Morning, Yamato-sempai, Kakashi-sempai." I greeted them calmly.

"Morning." They both said back at the same time as Naruto and Sai looked up at me.

"What'd you tell them?" Naruto asked, and I sighed at him. I folded my arms across my chest, carefully leaning most of my body weight on my left leg so my right leg was relaxed, causing me less pain.

"I told them what I knew about the Sharingan's powers and gave them tips on how to fight Sasuke. I didn't tell them anything about his fighting styles... All I did was feed them enough information that I believe that have a better chance of surviving a fight with him, though I highly doubt they will be able to defeat him." I said with a sigh.

"They really did a number on you, Naruto." Kakashi said, and I narrowed my eyes.

"They are lucky I decided a war wasn't worth killing them... How dare they attack a shinobi of a village they shouldn't even be in?" I growled, and Kakashi looked at me, seeming genuinely surprised.

"I thought you never let your emotions get in the way of anything?" Kakashi asked pointedly, though he was curious. I glared at him, my eyes narrowed.

"Things change, Kakashi-sempai." I growled, the other three shinobi watching us with frowns.

"Come here." Kakashi said before leaving the tent. I unfolded my arms, following him out. "What's going on? You've been acting like this since Pain's attack... Did something happen?" Kakashi asked calmly, and I narrowed my eyes.

"How much do you know?" I asked coldly.

"Not much. Asuma told me the basics about your past." Kakashi answered.

"Yeah, well..." I sighed, running my hand through my short, loose, shoulder-length crimson hair.

"You were killed, weren't you?" Kakashi guessed, and I snapped my purple eyes towards him before nodding. "So was I... Who did you see?" I looked away from him, narrowing my eyes balefully at the trees

"I've never feared death, Kakashi-sempai. Not once in my life... I've never feared what comes after death... I've never feared what causes death... and I've never feared causing it... Do you believe in hell, Kakashi-sempai?" I asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Do you believe that there is a hellish place where hellish people deserve to go to?"

"...I believe that there are those who never reach the afterlife, and are forever trapped between life and death for all eternity." Kakashi answered calmly.

"I see..." I said before turning back to the trees. "I have seen hell in life. I've met the person who brought me hell in life. I killed the person who threatened to bring hell into my life again. For five hours of my life, Kakashi, I feared death." I said, looking back at him. "Not today, nor four days ago... One week ago, the day I left Suna to come here, I feared death. Not death for myself... but death for two people who were close to me. Close through feelings, and close through blood... I feared one would die... and I feared the other would be killed... by me." I said, and Kakashi watched me with more seriousness then before.

"And I killed them. I killed them out of cold blood. I killed out of cold blood, and you know what?" I said to him. "I don't regret it at all. In fact, I don't even care that I did. Tell me, Kakashi-sempai. Am I a bad person for that?" I asked him curiously.

"I don't believe so. Your actions weren't entirely good, but it doesn't make you a bad person." Kakashi said calmly, and I nodded.

"Well... However cold blooded my actions were, I had my reasons behind my actions... I saw someone I never want to see again."

"Hm?" Kakashi hummed questioningly.

"You asked who I saw... I never want to see them again, but it seems I don't have a choice in the matter." I said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter..." I said as Naruto and Yamato came out of the tent. "What's going on?" I asked, seeing they were wearing traveling cloaks, noticing Kakashi didn't seem surprised.

"There's a Kage meeting in the Land of Iron. We're headed there to meet the Raikage." Yamato answered, and my eyes widened.

"What? A meeting of all the Kages?" I asked quickly.

"Yes. Is something wrong?" Yamato asked, and I shook my head.

"I'm going to follow you guys."

* * *

"For Naruto's sake, we need to do something ourselves instead of always relying on him." Sai was saying to Sakura when I walked up to the tent.

"Listen to Sai, Sakura." Shikamaru said from beside me as we both walked in.

"Shikamaru... Hasu." Shizune said as she stood.

"We aren't kids anymore, Sakura." I said seriously.

"We'll stop Akatsuki and we'll stop Sasuke." Shikamaru said. "We're here to get Team Sevens permission."

"You mean to say...?" Shizune blinked.

"Yes. We can't let war break out between Konohagakure and Kumogakure because of Sasuke." I explained with a sigh.

"This may be rude, but listen. If Kumo kills Sasuke, You, Ino, and Naruto won't stand for it. If you do something to get yourselves killed, Choji, Inoichi, your parents and I will want revenge to. And if Choji and I get killed, then our parents will get involved and it'll be a war." Shikamaru said seriously.

"And then if Shikamaru dies and Shikaku or Inoichi are hurt, I'll have Gaara get Sunagakure to help fight, and even more people will be hurt and killed. Gaara will be more then willing to help if something happens to Naruto and you. Sasuke is already being treated as an international criminal. If he's working with Akatsuki, he'll only be hated more." I said coldly.

"We need to take care of Sasuke ourselves. You get what I'm saying, don't you, Sakura? That's why I've come to ask your permission." Shikamaru said.

"Shikamaru..." Sakura said tearily as she hung her head. Shikamaru closed his eyes, and I could see how much seeing her like this was upsetting him.

"Sakura... He's gone. Sasuke has lost himself, and there's no getting him back... There's nothing to get back." I said softly. "He's gone." I repeated as I stepped forward.

"Please... Don't say anymore." Sakura said as tears dropped from her eyes. I stepped forward even further, pulling her into a hug.

"Don't let him fall any further." I whispered softly to her as she cried silently into my shoulder. After a few moments, I stepped back and she wipes her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I have to do this for the future of Konoha. I'm going to tell Naruto as well. Where is he?" Shikamaru asked.

"He's gone to the Land of Iron, to meet the Raikage." Sai said, and I nodded confirmation.

"He's what? This won't be as easy as I thought." Shikamaru complained.

"I will talk to Naruto." Sakura said. "The idiot's in love with me... So let me do it." Sakura said, and I smiled encouragingly at her.

"I need to head to the Land of Iron immediately. You guys get ready and follow suit once you can... I can't wait any longer." I said before dashing out of the tent.

* * *

"Damn it... This would be so much easier if my leg wasn't busted." I said with a wince as I sat against a tree, my right leg outstretched in the snow in front of me. I had covered the leg in snow, trying to ease the pain. "Ahg!" I groaned as I tried to move my leg. "Okay, forget that plan... Plan B!" I declared out loud before clapping my hands together. Suddenly I, and the snow around me, was lifted into the air on a circular glass disk that curved up at the edge so the snow wouldn't fall out.

"Success!" I chirped as the glass carried me forward towards the building I knew the meeting was being held in. I narrowed my eyes as I saw dust rise from the building. I reached it in hardly any time as I sped towards it. I jumped right through the window and off the glass, my leg almost giving out as I landed. I staggered forward before regaining my footing, immediately running to where I heard screaming and fighting. I jumped down a hole in the floor to see the Raikage fighting Sasuke, a samurai covered in black flames writhing on the ground, two more running towards him to help.

"No! Don't touch him!" I shouted in alarm, the two Kumogakure shinobi spotting me as the samurai's froze.

"Another enemy?" One of the shinobi asked warily as I ran towards the samurai.

"Look at her arm. It's a Suna hitai-ate." The other said.

"No way! Raikage..." I heard the first one gasp, looking over to see the Raikage's arm was covered in flames. I looked back at the samurai, summoning glass under his armor. The glass cut through the armor, the pieces flying away harmlessly.

"Quick, get him medical help!" I shouted to the other two samurai, who immediately grabbed him.

"Thank you." One of them said before they carried him away. I turned around to see the Raikage was about to slam his leg right through more flames to kill Sasuke, but just before it hit, sand got between them.

"Shit!" I cried out as my leg gave out, and I fell to the ground. Before I hit it, sand gently caught me, lifting me into the air. I looked towards where the sand was carrying me to see Gaara there, looking cold and expressionless. I couldn't hide the small smile at the sight of him as the sand carried me to his side, setting me back on my feet. I kept most my weight on my left leg so I could stay standing, nodding my thanks to Gaara.


	13. Chapter 12

**Kay, here's chapter 12. Once more, thank you everyone who's reading this story. I really appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: I hold no claim over anything but Hasu. Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

"What's up with you? You come here all busted up..." Kankurou complained, and I glared at him.

"Help me stay upright." I said, throwing my arm over his shoulder before he could refuse. He scowled, but didn't try to remove my arm. "Don't fucking nag me, Kankurou. I've had a very bad week, and I won't hesitate to cut your fingers up." I threatened as Gaara and the Raikage argued. "What's going on?"

"The Kage's were fighting about how to deal with Akatsuki, and they'd come to the decision to form an alliance of the nations." Kankurou explained.

"What? That's... Wow. I'm surprised." I said as Gaara said something to Sasuke. I turned my attention to them immediatly.

"It's not too late for you. Don't escape into your own world, possessed by hatred. You won't be able to return." Gaara warned him emotionlessly.

"So? If I come back, what is there for me?" Sasuke said coldly.

"Gaara, don't bother. If he could be convinced, Naruto wouldn't have failed. He's a criminal now, and a member of Akatsuki. He's not like you." Kankurou said.

"Yes... Besides, Sasuke likes the darkness, I think... He willingly gave up the light to go to the darkness... For power. His shame knows no bounds... He's far beyond help. Either way, he has no future anymore... He's ruined, and is going to be hunted by all the nations now that he was revenge obsessed enough to attack the Kage's..." I said coldly to Gaara before looking at Sasuke, who was eyeing me with interest. "The darkness has blinded him, Gaara... There's no hope for him." _Besides... I'd probably do the same thing, if I were him. At least, if it wasn't just about power._

"Sasuke, you and I are alike. We have walked through thr darkness of this world. That's why we are able to see even a sliver of light. Both then and even now." Gaara said emotionlessly.

"I have long since closed my eyes. My old goal is in the darkness." Sasuke said with a small smirk.

"Don't make this personal. You're the Kazekage." Kankurou said, and I glanced over at him as sand drifted from his gourd.

"...Yeah. I know." Gaara said as a tear slipped from his eye, a mass of sand flying towards Sasuke. I pushed away from Kankurou as he started to use his puppet, standing as best as I could. I watched as Sasuke attacked us with Amaterasu, but sand got in the way every time.

"Heh... I can't believe this. I see your absolute defense is still alive and well." Sasuke said.

"Let me help! I'll go first, then the rest of you attack at once!" The dark skinned Kumogakure shinobi said as he stood next to Kankurou, making hand signs.

"All right." I agreed as he attacked. At the same time, Gaara attacked with his sand, Kankurou attacked with his puppet, and I summoned a mass of glass in the area, all the shards flying at Sasuke at once. I held my hand over my eyes as it created a massive explosion around Sasuke, my eyes widening in surprise as the dust faded. Sasuke was surrounded by a skeletal figure.

"Gaara... My defense is even more absolute then yours." Sasuke said, and I stared at him in shock.

"Impossible..." I whispered.

"Is this... the power of your darkness?" Gaara mused aloud.

"Only those who control the Double Mangekyo can use this power... The third power, Susanoo." Sasuke said with a cold smirk.

"Susanoo?" Gaara repeated questioningly.

"Uchiha. Always hiding something." Kankurou grumbled.

"Darui! Sand Shinobi! Retreat!" The other Kumo shinobi shouted from beside the Raikage. I watched as the skeletal figure knocked down and crushed the pillars, the roof completely caving in. I felt Gaara grab me by the waist, tugging me towards him. I leaned into his chest as he gathered sand above us, protecting us from the cave in.

"Sorry, Kazekage." Darui said.

"Looks like he used this to escape." I said as I stepped away from Gaara, happy with our brief moment of affection.

"He's headed above." The other Kumo shinobi said.

"After him! Now!" The Raikage shouted. I summoned glass around my feet as everyone ran forward, quickly floating after them, as I knew my leg couldn't take running.

"Seriously though, Hasu. Why are you so busted up?" Kankurou asked as he ran beside me. I motioned for him to jump up on the glass with me, which he did. "Thanks." He muttered.

"Do you seriously not know what happened to Konoha?" I asked, confused.

"No? Did something happen and that's why the Hokage was replaced?" Kankurou asked, and I nodded.

"Konoha was attacked... More like destroyed." I said, lowering my voice so only Gaara and Kankurou could hear me, as they were closest to me. "Akatsuki came in and utterly demolished it. All that was left was a giant crater. Thousands of shinobi were killed. Naruto returned to Konoha and killed everyone himself while Tsunade-sama used all her chakra healing everyone and protecting as many as she could from the jutsu that caused the crater in the first place. But Shikamaru was about to be hit by one of the flying chunks of rubble during the attack, and I pushed him out of the way." I said with a sigh.

"Let's just say the rubble was a lot stronger then me. Eventually Shikaku-sempai and Inoichi-sempai managed to get the rubble off me, and Ino and Tsunade-sama's summon started to heal me. Naruto somehow convinced the enemy to switch sides, and he used a jutsu that resurrected everyone at the cost of his life. Including me." I explained, Kankurou's eyes widening.

"You were killed!" He gasped, Gaara glancing at me but saying nothing.

"Yes... I told you, the rubble kicked my ass. Anyways, I impacted with the ground hard enough I was knocked unconscious when the rubble hit me, and then promptly bleed to death from the horrific damage it caused my leg. But I was resurrected and Katsuyu and Ino healed it until it wasn't life threatening, and it's still healing the rest of the way... But Tsunade-sama used all her chakra protecting the villagers, and is in a coma. That Danzo bastard is a shady, corrupt, disgusting, vile creature that it would be insulting to the human race to call a person." I growled.

"What did he ever do to you?" Kankurou asked, and I glared at him.

"He was... Focus." I said as we approached the building. I dropped to the ground, Kankurou landing beside me, and we both broke into a run immediately. My leg jolted in pain with each movement, but it was feeling stronger then before. We ran through a hole that was busted into the wall previously.

"Where's Sasuke?" The Raikage demanged immediatly.

"I smashed him to bits... There." The Tsuchikage said, pointing at a massive lava goo on the wall.

"Oh shit..." I breathed out quietly as I recognized the jutsu. I slipped beside Gaara, my crimson hair loosely curtaining my face so I wouldn't be recognized by the woman slipping back into the room.

"What! That was my job! How dare you!" The Raikage yelled.

"You still have a chance, so quit your whining, Raikage." A voice said as a man swirled into existence. "My name is Uchiha Madara. I'm here to explain something to you... I just want to make that clear. I want to tell you about my goal, the Moon's Eye plan." The man said, wearing an Akatsuki's garb, a mask, and an unconscious Sasuke swung over his shoulder.

* * *

"I won't let you take Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara said coldly after we had listened to the mad-mans plan.

"Nor will I." The Mizukage said.

"What about you, Raikage?" The Tsuchikage asked.

"You won't have my brother." The Raikage growled.

"I may not have much power myself, but I have the powers of the tailed beasts I've gathered. You won't stand a chance." Madara said calmly.

"We won't give up hope." Gaara said coldly.

"All right... Consider this a declaration of war. The Fourth Shinobi War begins now." Madara said, and I blinked calmly.

"The Fourth Shinobi World War! Are you serious!" The Tsuchikage shouted.

"I'm not foolish enough to say such a thing in jest. Next time we meet, it will be on the battleground." Madara declared before he disappeared in a swirl.

"...We must form a Shinobi alliance. There is no other way to oppose the power of seven Bijuu." Gaara said calmly after a long silence.

"I refuse to allow Akatsuki to have their way with us any longer. We form a shinobi alliance, and settle this as quickly as possible." The Raikage announced.

"What of Konoha? The Hokage has fled the scene." The Tsuchikage pointed out.

"The dark rumours surrounding Danzou are too great. After what he did here, he has lost all our trust. If the shinobi learn of what happened here, his position will become strained. He will not last long." The Raikage said seriously.

"I will pass this news to a shinobo of Konoha I trust." Gaara said.

"And that would be?"

"Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan." Gaara answered the Raikage calmly.

"The son of the White Fang?" The Tsuchikage asked, smirking slightly.

"Very well. He seems more trustworthy then Danzou at least." The Raikage said. "Shii, select a search party at once, and contact the village so they can start searching for Bee immediatly." The Raikage demanded. I blocked out the discussion, thinking seriously. _I should have rethought this. If she recognizes me, Gaara might be trusted less..._

"Unthinkable." Gaara said, brining me out of my thoughts. "Protecting them is vital in this war. I suspect the reason Madara as decided to start this war with the seven Bijuu he has is because in his weakened state, and with few Akatsuki members remaining, it would be too difficult for him to capture the Hachibi and the Kyuubi. Even if he succeeded, the risks would be too high. He may use this war to lure them out." Gaara said seriously.

"I agree. Considering what it may lead to, we cannot possible lay them out right before the enemy. At any rate, the Hachibi is not the kind of man to follow any strategies we might prepare. Who knows what he might end up doing... He would only bring chaos to the battlefield!" The Raikage said.

"I would say the same of the Kyuubi, Naruto." Gaara said seriously, though I smiled a bit at that.

"Very well. Do you accept this, Tsuchikage?" The Mizukage questioned.

"Hm." He grunted his agreement.

"I will share info on Bee with Kumo, Kiri, Konoha, and Suna. I suggest search teams be sent out immediately. Once the Hachibi is found, I suggest you send him to me immediately. I'm probably the only one he'll listen to. And Kazekage, I trust you will handle the task of passing all this on to Kakashi." The Raikage said seriously.

"Yes." Gaara confirmed calmly.

"I met with them on the way here. They are probably still in the Iron Country somewhere." The Raikage said, Gaara nodding.

"Now that Danzo's gone, who will lead the Alliance? Are any of us Kage's suitable? You are the one who dismissed us all before, Mifune." the Tsuchikage questioned. A moment of silence passed.

"I believe the Raikage would be the best choice. Now that we know the Hachibi is alive, I believe he will be able to keep his emotions under control. I take back my hasty judgments... Please, forgive me. Besides, he's already taken the lead here, and he was quick to come up with a plan." Mifune said calmly.

"I trust the Raikage." The Mizukage said.

"As do I." Gaara agreed.

"..I guess it's better then losing the war. My opinions of you won't matter if the Shinobi world is destroyed. I'll join you." The Tsuchikage said.

"The Shinobi Alliance is formed! We must speak with our Daimyo's."

* * *

Gaara carefully carried me on his sand as he and Kankurou ran through the trees, my leg hurting bad enough I couldn't run still. After a hell of a long time, we found them. I jumped from the sand, Gaara quickly dispersing it as we jumped down into the snow. I leaned on Gaara for support, which he didn't do anything to stop. "See! That's why I said you shouldn't follow us!" Yamato said, pointing at my leg. I smiled weakly at him.

"Well, it's a good thing I did. Apparently I was Gaara's second bodyguard and I wasn't even told." I said, flashing said Kazekage a smile as I leaned on him. "But we're here for serious business. Something big happened at the summit."

"After a long and tedious argument, the Kage's have formed a five village alliance between the Great Countries." Gaara said seriously, Yamato, Kakashi and the others watching us seriously. "The Raikage will be the head of the Alliance... and our main goal is to keep Naruto and the Hachibi out of Madara Uchiha's hands. Madara has declared the Fourth Shinobi War has begun, and will attack us with the force of all seven Bijuu's he has in his hands. Danzou used a jutsu to control the mediator into trying to elect him as the leader of the alliance, and as such, he is no longer trusted."

"Sasuke attacked and it took the Raikage, the Mizukage and I all to get him out of the way... No, he isn't dead. Madara saved him before he was killed by the Mizukage and Tsuchikage. However, we all agreed that Kakashi... You are the right choice for Hokage." Gaara said seriously.

"...I really wasn't into the whole Hokage idea... But I have no choice now." Kakashi said with a sigh. "I have to head back to Konoha and ask everyone their opinions first."

"Madara said he was going to start a war. There's no time to take things slow." Kankurou said seriously.

"I think everyone will agree with you, Kakashi-sempai. Let's continue as if you were Hokage already. It's too dangerous to take our time and let Akatsuki and Madara get the upper hand." Yamato said calmly.

"Well, I guess your right..." Kakashi sighed.

"About Sasuke... If he attacked the summit..." Yamato trailed off.

"Naruto, just so your know... This will be a war to protect the Hachibi and the Kyuubi... In other words, you. For the sake of the Shinobi World, and as the Kazekage, I will guard you with my life." Gaara said with the utmost seriousness. "If as a member of Akatsuki, Uchiha Sasuke stands in the way of the shinobi Alliance, I will show no mercy. Sasuke doesn't even see you. He longs only for his own darkness." Gaara said, Naruto's eyes snapping to him. "Naruto, you told me you would become Hokage. I have become Kazekage... If you are prepared to bear the title of Kage, then do what you must do as Sasuke's friend." Gaara said as he stepped forward, leaving me to stand on my own. He set a hand on Naruto's shoulder as he spoke.

"We've said what we came to say. Let's go." Kankurou said as Gaara dropped his hand, turning around. I limped past them, putting my arm around Naruto's shoulder and guiding him to turn around as I spoke in hushed whispered to him.

"There's no way I'm letting Gaara do that alone, either. I'm doing the same, Naruto... and my brother will help me." I whispered calmly. "Naruto... You're more important then you realize. Konoha, Gaara, and I... We're protecting you because you're a friend, not some piece of meat to be tossed off to the enemy for peace and quiet. You are cared for... Do you understand that?" I asked him, and Naruto eyed me as the others watched our hushed conversation from a polite distance.

"I do, Hasu... It just isn't right." Naruto whispered back, sounding pained.

"Nothing about war is right. There's no right reason to fight, Naruto." I said, shivering as a strange sensation of numbness and pain at the same time shot up my leg.

"But still... I shouldn't be a cause for war." Naruto protested quietly.

"It's hardly your fault, Naruto. You can't fix everyone... Sasuke is one of those people you just can't fix." I whispered, and Naruto glared at me.

"What do you know, Hasu? You can't understand how he feels." Naruto whispered angrily.

"Really, Naruto? Would you be surprised then, if I told you that I almost did the same thing as him? That I would have been more then willing to do the same as he did?" I whispered calmly, and Naruto blinked at me.

"Why?" He asked.

"I don't have time to spill my life story, Naruto... Talk to Inoichi if you really want to know. The point is, I know how he feels... He couldn't find what he needed in the light, Naruto. He needed someone who understood him and could help him get stronger. He found that person in the darkness... Now he's grown so accustomed to it that he can no longer see the light. Not everyone can be saved..." I whispered to him softly.

"So what, Hasu? Do I give up on my friend?" Naruto snapped at me in a quiet tone, though loud enough for the others to barely pick up on it, which I knew by them suddenly looking more interested.

"No, Naruto." I said in a whisper. "I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that you need to stop focusing your whole life on saving him when he doesn't want it... Unless he wants it, he won't ever change. That's the sad truth. You need to accept that, and move on... but be ready to be his friend if he decides to change. Also, Naruto... Even if he does decide to change, he will be hunted by all the countries for the rest of his life because of the stunt he pulled today." I whispered to him.

"So you do want me to give up." Naruto growled, and I narrowed my eyes at him. I took a step back, pulling my arm away from his shoulder.

"No, Naruto. You need to face reality." I said coldly, my voice a regular volume. "What does the word 'friend' mean to you, Naruto?" I asked, continuing before he could answer. "Think about that... Then think about what you're trying to do for Sasuke." I said coldly before turning to Gaara. "Let's go." I said, jumping into a run before he could lift me with his sand. I didn't care that it hurt, I was angry.

"Hasu, are you okay?" Kankurou asked after a while of running. I halted in my step, spinning around to face him as he stumbled to a stop, surprised by my sudden stop.

"No, damn it!" I growled at him angrily, Gaara pausing a few steps ahead of us, and behind me.

"Uh... What's wrong?" Kankurou said as though he were guessing the words. I let out a shaky sigh as I covered my forehead with my hand. Kankurou reached out to set a hand on me. "Hasu..." He said, and I dropped my hand from my forehead, smacking his hand away from me.

"Don't touch me!" I hissed, and Kankurou blinked at me in confusion. "Damn it!" I growled before taking a deep breath. I spun around to face Gaara, walking the few steps towards him. He frowned at me as I wrapped my arms around his back, pressing against him. He set his arms around me, probably confused, but holding me none-the-less. "I didn't even think, Gaara. I just threw myself in front of Shikamaru, knowing I would die in his place... I didn't even think that I would be leaving you, even after I promised I wouldn't... I died, Gaara... I died, and I would have stayed that way if it wasn't for Naruto..." I let out a sigh before peeling myself from Gaara.

"All right. Enough self guilt trips... I've decided!" I declared, Gaara and Kankurou both looking at me, Gaara expressionless while Kankurou just looked weirdly at me. "I visited the afterlife and I didn't like it. From now on, I'm staying alive. How's that for a plan?" I said cheerfully.

"Uh... Sounds good?" Kankurou said in confusion.

"I thought so. Let's get back to moving..." I said, quickly getting scooped up by sand. I smiled at Gaara, who looked completely expressionless despite his actions.


	14. Chapter 13

**Here you go! Sorry about the delay. I've been sick again, which is really irritating -sigh- Anyways, I've basically been sleeping my entire life away, so I lost track of time XD Here you go!**

**Disclaimer: Remember, I don't own.**

* * *

I winced as Yukio jumped on my bed, jolting my injured leg. "Hasu-chan! I missed you." Yukio squeaked, and I grinned at him.

"I missed you too, Yukio." I said with a grin.

"Yukio." Temari's stern voice summoned the boys attention to the doorway. "Let your sister rest. Come on and help me." Temari said sternly, and I smiled inwardly as Yukio pouted. She was acting like his mother, and it made me want to laugh.

"Go on." I ushered him. "Before she gets mad." I added, and Yukio immediately jumped off the bed.

"I'll see you soon!" Yukio said as he waved, dashing out of the room and closing the door behind him.

"Sheesh... He's just a tornado of energy." I said with a smile towards Gaara, who went unnoticed as he stood in the corner of the room opposite to me, watching me carefully. It the afternoon, a few hours after we'd returned from the meeting. We'd planned war in sessions, and I was in charge of picking the proper people per platoon along side Gaara. We'd just returned from a second Kage meeting that was held in Kumogakure. "Alright... What is it you wanted to say?" I asked him curiously.

"I want you to join the council." Gaara said calmly, and I blinked at him in surprise before biting my lip.

"Gaara... I think you're putting too much trust in me for the village's liking... I've been a shinobi of two other Hidden Villages before Suna... This much trust in me could seem dangerous." I said hesitantly.

"We are in a five country alliance. No one will try anything... After the Akatsuki incident, most of the village has accepted you. Most importantly, I want you on the advisory council." Gaara said emotionlessly, but I read the affection in his words.

"All right... I suppose I will.. But I'm young. Younger then Kankurou. I'll be the youngest person on there." I said with a sigh. "Oh well. I will survive." I said with a light smile, beckoning Gaara over with one arm. He approached the side of the bed, and I inched to the side of the large bed. Gaara hesitated before he laid down beside me, on top of the sheets, putting his arm around my shoulders. His face remained free of all emotion, but I knew from his eyes he was happy. I leaned against him, pressing my head against his chest. "I love you, Gaara." I said quietly.

"And I, you." Gaara answered emotionlessly. I leaned into him, and he lowered his arms from my shoulders, wrapping them around my waist and pulling me against him. I smiled, thrilled that the ever-stoic Gaara would show me so much affection.

* * *

"Baki will lead one of the close range platoons, as he's skilled in melee and close range fighting. Kankurou will lead the second of the two puppeteer platoons, as well." I said from my seat in the council. "Also, Temari will be leading one of the long range platoons."

"Are you sure you want such young and inexperienced shinobi leading a platoon?" One of the other council members, Ryûsa questioned sternly.

"While they are young and have less experience in battle, they are experienced in leadership and have skill. Kankurou is one of the best puppeteers Suna has, so I believe he will lead well. Temari is strong and a very good leader who will not hesitate to do what is needed to win this war. She is a good choice." I said calmly.

"I agree." Jôseki said with a nod of approval.

"As do I..." Gôza said gruffly while the others nodded their agreements. Finally, Ryûsa nodded his agreement as well.

"Alright... Also, I believe you, Kazekage-sama, should fight at the head of the platoons." I said, quickly raising my hand for silence as I knew the others would immediately protest. "Allow me to explain." I said calmly, lowering my hand, pleased to hear no interruptions. "While it may seem easier for you to be left unprotected in that case, Kazekage-sama, you would be able to fight without worrying about hurting anyone in the platoons like you would if you fought from behind everyone." I explained calmly.

"Also, Baki's platoon will fight along side you, offering you impressive amounts of defense. On top of this, with you fighting on the front lines, you'd be able to defend everyone behind you easier if necessary." I added with a frown.

"But he would be open to attacks!" Sajô shouted immediatly.

"She's right, Sajô. I would give my life to protect Kazekage-sama, as would my platoon." Baki said calmly.

"Be that as it may, it would be incredibly risky! If we were to pick this action, your successor would need to be picked before battle." Jôseki said with a frowned, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You speak as though he cannot protect himself, and that we cannot protect him. Do you really lack that much faith?" I said, my voice stressed with suppressed anger.

"No, he is correct." Gaara interrupted emotionlessly. "I should pick a successor in the first place, just in case I fall anytime during this war. In fact, all the Kage's should. I will pick my successor before battle, but for now... I agree with Hasu's plan so far. I'm not certain my brother is the best choice to lead a platoon with his temper, but she is right. He's one of the most skilled puppeteers, and I have faith in his ability."

"...All right." Gôza said hesitantly.

"Also, I will speak with all the chosen platoon leaders to determine who is best fit in each platoon and who under. It's a good idea to get people who work well together in the same area." Baki said calmly, and I nodded.

"I will need the results immediately, and from there I will look into each shinobi to determine their placements and duties within the platoon. May I be granted access to the personal files?" I asked, turning my head to Gaara.

"Yes. However, keep it to the listen shinobi only." Gaara said emotionlessly, though I knew he was just adding that to ease the others worries, as he had faith in me. I nodded my agreement to his conditions.

"I believe we should send one shinobi to each hidden village in the alliance. That way we can completely trust the information sent in." Ryûsa suggested calmly.

"Do you believe they would try to do something in these times?" Sajô asked worriedly.

"I doubt it, but I'd rather be safe then sorry." Jôseki said with a frown.

"While I don't believe they would do something, I agree." Gôza added.

"I trust Konoha and Kumo, though I worry about Iwa and Kiri... The Tsuchikage wasn't entirely pleased with this alliance, and might try something, and Kirigakure has never been entirely trustworthy." Ryûsa said with a glance towards me. I frowned, wondering if anyone but the siblings could know about my origins before Konoha.

"I agree. Though the new Mizukage seems to be trustworthy enough, it's better to be safe." I said calmly. "We can't spare our better Jounin's, though... Who is trustworthy enough to be sent?" I asked with a frown.

"I suggest my assistants." Baki said, and I frowned at him. "They could be sent to Kiri, Tsuchi, and Kumo. I believe Temari should be sent to Konoha." Baki said.

"If she is to lead a platoon, is it wise to keep her in another village?" Gôza asked with a worried frown.

"Don't worry about that. I will send messages of updates on battle plans every few days, and will go there in person to tell her the major things." I said calmly, Gôza nodding his approval.

"What about you, Namichi-san?" Ryûsa asked, and I frowned at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked with a frown.

"What role will you be playing in the battle?" Ryûsa rephrased his question.

"I'm not certain yet. My powers are built for long distance, but I have two other options I could take. I could fight close range and offer Kazekage-sama more defense, but I could also stay out of the battle all together and protect the medics so they can heal without fearing attacks." I said calmly, frowning thoughtfully still. "What are your opinions on the matter?" I asked the entire council, including Gaara.

"I believe you should start out fighting with a long distance platoon, preferably Temari's as you two work well together. From there, if either I or the medics need help, aide whoever needs it." Gaara said emotionlessly, the council members nodding their agreement.

"Sounds reasonable. What about your brother?" Ryûsa questioned, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What about him?" I asked with a growl of warning in my voice.

"I understand Baki has taught him long distance jutsu's... Shouldn't he be apart of the battle?" He inquired calmly.

"_If..._ it is decided that he should join, which I highly protest against as he's weak physically, then he will fight at my side at all times." I said, my eyes narrowed dangerously. "Also, if Temari happens to be in Konoha when we go into battle, I will lead her platoon myself, so I won't be able to go help the medics or Gaara in that case." I said with a sigh.

"That's enough for today." Gaara said emotionlessly. "Baki, get the platoons designed and then Hasu will assist you with organizing the shinobi. Dismissed." Gaara said before standing and leaving. I sighed, standing to leave as well when Ryûsa approached me. I paused in my steps, letting the other council members leave. He stayed silent until the last person left, closing the door behind him and leaving the two of us alone in the room. Aware of this, I stayed on my guard just in case.

"Yes?" I asked him calmly.

"I was approached yesterday by a woman who has a grudge against you." Ryûsa said calmly, and I frowned at him.

"Oh? And what did she want?" I inquired, my voice unchanging and emotionless.

"She wanted me to hurt you." Ryûsa said, watching me. "You don't seem surprised... Well, I refused her offer, and she left... Not before telling me a few things about your past. I need to know, Hasu. Are you on our side, or are your loyalties undecided?"

"Ryûsa, I thank you for giving me enough respect to come to me directly... I will tell you this right now. I hate the shinobi of Kirigakure so much that even if I was ordered to go there, I would refuse... Even if it risked my career as a shinobi, I wouldn't go there. The day I left Kiri, I was told that I would never be allowed within their gates again. Frankly, I don't care. I never want to see Kirigakure again, nor it's shinobi. Also, I left Konoha to come here. There is where my loyalty lies now, simple as that." I said calmly, and Ryûsa nodded.

* * *

"Damn it!" I yelled in frustrastion as I slammed the folder shut.

"What is it?" Gaara asked calmly from across the table.

"This is highly irritating, Gaara. Most of our fighters are mid to close range, leaving our long distance fighting to Temari and the puppeteers platoons. Look at this... We have six platoons. That's all. Forty-two people per platoon, we have... Two-hundred, fifty-two shinobi capable of fighting. Three platoons long range, two mid range, and one close range platoon. Baki will lead the close range, Ryûsa and Otokaze will lead the mid range... Kankurou, Temari, and Ebizu-sama will lead the three long range." I said with a sigh.

"Most of the council members are fighting in Ryûsa's platoon. We'll need to keep them well protected, so I'll aim to have most of the council members in the center positions of the platoon. The medics will be stationed as far from the battle as any injured can be expected to go. I'll have to find a way to be able to see them, but I worry that the enemy will also see them and may try something." I said, chewing my bottom lip.

"Also, we'll be fighting bijuu. It's highly likely that less then half the shinobi will come out of this fight, for all the villages." I sighed, running my hand through my hair, which I was wearing loose again. "We need to find a safe place to hide the citizens. It would be worse then foolish to keep them in the village during the battles... Also, this is war." I said, looking at Gaara seriously. "It won't just be one fight..." I blinked, narrowing my eyes thoughtfully.

"What is it...?" Gaara asked, watching me intently.

"I'm worried... I just thought of something. What if Madara can control multiple bijuu a long distance apart?" I asked with a frown.

"You are worried he might be able to attack all the villages at once, when they're on their own?" Gaara guessed emotionlessly, and I nodded. "I doubt it. If even just one bijuu is destroyed, his plan wouldn't be able to succeed."

"That was the second thing I thought of." I said seriously. "I think we need to find the weakest Bijuu and take them out if Madara is really going to fight with them. I think Shukaku would be the weakest, but with the sand manipulation... Gaara, it's likely Madara will set Shukaku to fight our forces, since he can counter your sand and overpower it. You shared a body with the bijuu for sixteen years... Can we beat him?" I asked seriously. Gaara frowned at me with an otherwise expressionless face for many moments of silence.

"I believe it's a possibility... However, you cannot fight him." Gaara said finally, and I blinked at him.

"Why not?" I asked, confused.

"One." Gaara said, holding up a finger while still expressionless. "Glass is made of sand. He could very easily shift it back to that state before you can even get an attack him, giving him more power and sand to use. Two." He held up another finger, but he paused at the grin spreading across my face.

"Gaara... I just got an idea." I said, grinning at him. He raised a non-existent eyebrow at me, waiting for me to explain. "Well... I can create glass out of nothing but pure chakra, but it's really glass... Glass infused with chakra." I said, my smile widening as I spoke. "If Shukaku can turn it to sand, so can you... turn it to sand infused with chakra." I saw Gaara's eyes light up with understanding though his expression remained stoic. "Which means, it would be as easy to use as the sand you carry in your gourd. Which means, I can give you an endless supply of your chakra infused sand with hardly any exertion!" I finished as I jumped to my feet. Gaara stood up as I walked around the table to him, throwing my arms around his neck.

He set his hands on my hips as he looked at me, allowing a small, almost nonexistent and invisible smile to form on his face as he looked at me. In that moment, I was overcome with a sudden desire, pressing my lips against him. He kissed back with equal emotion, though his face didn't show it, and I parted my lips for him. In a swirl of sand, we disappeared, reappearing in Gaara's bedroom.

* * *

I rolled over under the soft sheets, resting my head and forearm on Gaara's bare chest. _I can't believe he would do that with me... _I thought happily as I laid there, completely relaxed. The entire time we made love, Gaara's face was expressionless and never changing... It was his eyes that showed his emotion, and I was perfectly fine with that, because I knew I was the only one he looked at like that. I was thrilled that he loved me, even more so that we'd taken the relationship to this step, even if it had hurt me a bit at first.

I was beyond overjoyed that Gaara loved me so much, to the point that my heart throbbed when I wasn't able to hug him, or smile at him. I didn't want our relationship to be obvious due to my history with the other villages, since it could cause him trouble. I knew he didn't care, but I didn't want him to get trouble for it. "I love you." I breathed out as I laid my head and arm against his chest still. I felt his fingers lightly play with my hair.

"I love you as well, Hasu." Gaara said in a calm voice that otherwise lacked emotion. "...I think I am going to move into the room in the Kazekage building that is supposed to be the Kazekage's sleeping quarters." Gaara said after a moment, and I blinked. I put one arm on either side of his chest, bracing myself with my elbows as I lifted my upper body just enough to meet his eyes. "I refused to move into the sleeping quarters before as that was where my father lived..."

"Why do you want to now?" I asked him with a frown.

"I to have more time to myself..." Gaara said emotionlessly, trailing off. I could tell from how he looked at me that he was hesitating.

"What is it?" I asked him softly.

"I want you to come with me." Gaara said expressionlessly, though he redirected his gaze to the side, as though he was worried I'd say no.

"You... Want me to move in with you?" I asked him with a frown, and he nodded, still avoiding meeting my eyes. "..Are you sure that's a good idea, Gaara? Don't get me wrong, I would love that... I want that." I said quickly, and Gaara looked at me with a frown. "I'm just worried about what everyone else will think. I don't want them to believe I was only placed on the council because I share a bed with you, Gaara." I said hesitantly, my bare upper body still hovering a small amount over his, our abdomens touching.

"Hasu, does it matter what they think?" Gaara said emotionlessly. "We're going into a war with a twenty percent chance of coming out of, you said it yourself." Gaara said, still having no expression. "There's a good chance we won't have another opportunity, Hasu..." He said, still without emotion though his eyes were soft as they burned into my own.

"Gaara..." I whispered as small tears pricked at my eyes. "I'll move with you. I love you, and if you asked, I'd probably marry you without a second thought. You're right. Now is no time for hesitation, because time could very well be running out..." I said, kissing him gently. After a moment, we pulled apart.

"I'm glad." Gaara said truthfully, though his voice was void of emotion. "However, I need to get to work planning soon or someone will come looking for me. Sleep for a while." Gaara said as he gently nudged me until I rolled off his chest onto the free side of the bed. Gaara climbed out of bed, and I immediately turned my body so I could reach his pillow, burying my face in the warm area. I heard Gaara moving around, getting dressed probably, as I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent before slowly drifting to sleep.

_"Because. Everyone should have the chance to live their life to the fullest. Just like I'm entitled to it... and I'd rather give up my chance then let other people lose theirs." Hasu said calmly._

_"It's so strange... Most people in Kiri are heartless, and cruel... but you're so loving and understanding. But if you go around the world, you'll never settle down and start your own family!" The woman said with a laugh, and Hasu looked at the sun._

_"No. Somewhere along the way, I'll find the person I want to spend my life with. I'll know as soon as I see him. When I do, I'll follow him wherever he goes, even if he never goes anywhere. I'll be happy wherever he is, because I'll love him more then any silly dream. I'll never leave him, and would give my life to protect him. He'll be my home. Hopefully, he'll love me the same way." Hasu laughed, smiling brightly. _

_"What will you do if he dies, Hasu?" The woman asked._

_"Then I'll give him the best funeral ceremony, one that would rival a Kage's. I'll bury him with his favorite things, and then I'll spend all my free time every day at his grave, telling him how much I miss him, and probably crying all over the stone. Then I'll live for the both of us, and one day, after I'm satisfied with my life, I'll join him." Hasu said, still smiling happily though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. The woman stared at Hasu before smiling._

_"Don't worry, Hasu. You'll find him, and he'll love you more then you'll ever know. He'll never leave your side, and won't die until you can both go together." The woman said._

_"Yeah. You're right. Hey, maybe he'll have crimson hair too." Hasu joked, and the woman laughed._

_

* * *

_

"Okaa-chan..." A twelve year old Hasu said as she knelt by a grave stone in the Land of Fire, near the border between them and the Land of Water. "I saw it... I saw what I dreamed for. I saw who I dreamed for. He's exactly what I wanted, Okaa-chan... He's everything I wanted. He has crimson hair, and pupiless sky blue eyes... He's so amazing, Okaa-chan. And he can use sand, too! He uses sand and I use glass! Even our powers are compatible." Hasu said with a laugh as she set her hands on the stone, tracing the name engraved on it.

_"I never believed it would happen... My life has been so sad, Okaa-chan... But his has been too. I can see it in his eyes. He knows the loneliness I've felt. I feel so bad for him, Okaa-chan. I want to help him, but I know just by his eyes he would kill me without a second glance if I tried." Hasu said with a breezy laugh, seeming completely unnerved by how easily he could kill her, or would for that matter. "Every time I look at him, I smile. I can't help it! Just the sight of him makes my heart soar!" Hasu exclaimed, jumping to her feet and spinning around with her arms held up at the sky._

_"Oh, he's everything, Okaa-chan... I've never even spoken to him, but I just know! Oh, just look at me, Okaa-chan." Hasu said with a laugh as she stopped twirling. "I'm so happy, I can't even contain it!" Hasu exclaimed cheerfully. "But you know what? He's so sad and lonely... He's cold and cruel, and he's killed people out of cold blood.. I've heard the screams from his victims, but I don't care, Okaa-chan... I've only seen him, and I know... I know that I could never hate him." Hasu said gently as she knelt down again, touching the stone with her fingertips._

_"Is that silly, Okaa-chan? Is it naivety? I can't tell... but I don't care. I already know he's the one, Okaa-chan. I'll follow him." Hasu vowed aloud. "I'll follow him to the ends of the earth, and when he dies... I'll follow him." Hasu said, a small and soft loving smile on her face. "And then, we'll both meet you in the afterlife. I like to think you'd want that, Okaa-chan... Even if I'm the reason you're dead." Hasu said, her voice small and sad all of a sudden. "Even if you hate me, I like to think you don't... So please, Okaa-chan... Greet me in the afterlife with a smile... Because you're so beautiful when you smile, Okaa-chan." Hasu finished before pressing her lips to the stone._

_"I'll say goodbye before I leave for good... He's from another village, so I'll have to leave Konoha soon to go to his... But I'll say goodbye before I leave. Promise."_


	15. Chapter 14

**This is the shortest chapter I've written for this story. Sorry about that. Anyways, here's chapter 14. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own, though I'd love the money I'd get if I did.**

* * *

I walked alongside Gaara as we entered the meeting room. Three days ago we'd received a summon to Kumo for another Kage meeting. It was difficult to make the trip in three days, but Gaara carried both him and me on the sand the entire time, so we made it. I wasn't sure about Gaara brining me as his only guard, since Tsunade and the Mizukage would be there, but I came anyways. To my luck, the Mizukage noticed me immediately, her eyes widening a bit as Gaara sat down beside her with me standing behind his chair.

"You all came quickly." The Raikage, Ê, said.

"This situation calls for haste." Gaara stated emotionlessly.

"Yes... I can't say I approve of your guard, Kazekage-sama." The Mizukage, Mei, said in an interested voice rather then a disapproving one.

"That's quite all right, as she is my guard, not yours." Gaara replied, still without emotion.

"That's enough talk. Let's get down to business. First there's the matter of the Hachibi and Kyuubi's hosts. As well as any information on the enemy's base and strength." Mifune cut in.

"One of my teams has discovered the location of the enemy's base, but it might be a trap. We need more information." Tsunade said.

"I have assembled a search team and am gathering information as well. We should share information quickly between the villages." Ê said with gruff calmness.

"Then we should create an allied intelligence team." Mei suggested.

"That's fine with me! So, where should we hide the Hachibi and Kyuubi?" The Tsuchikage, Onoki asked.

"Hide?" Tsunade asked, confused before anger set in. "We need Naruto's and Bee's strength! How can we hide them!" Tsunade demanded, and I suppressed a smile at her temper.

"I thought so too, but those two are the enemy's objective. Considering the possibilities, we can't send them into the front. We agreed on this during the last meeting." Onoki said pointedly.

"Because we're unwilling to use our strength, we won't stand a chance! We need to strike hard with our full-" Tsunade shouted before Gaara cut her off.

"This is a war to protect them. Hokage, you cannot make unilateral demands. We decided this by majority rule." Gaara said calmly.

"You little punk! Naruto is-!" Tsunade shouted at him before he cut her off _again._

"If it's Naruto you want to talk about, I know him very well... He'll do anything for the sake of his comrades. That's precisely the problem." Gaara pointed out without emotion, and Tsunade fell silent, watching him with irritated eyes.

"Disunity among the five Kage's will preclude victory." Mifune said calmly.

"I also agree with them, Tsunade-sama." Shikaku said quietly from behind the Hokage.

"Tch. Enough." Tsunade said irritably.

"Looks like the impudent slug princess is in good health after all... That was some energetic testimony." Onoki said with a chuckle.

"The location of the refuge for the Hachibi and Kyuubi has been decided. It's a place I've kept in reserve. It's only appropriate that it be in Kumogakure, as it hasn't had any Akatsuki members. It's an isolated island that's protected by a strong barrier. If anyone manages to break it, we will be alerted immediatly as well." Ê said calmly, everyone, even Tsunade, nodding their agreement.

"Also." Gaara said with a frown. "Recently one of my highest jounin has come up with a plan for battle that I wish to share with you all and get your opinions." Gaara explained emotionlessly, everyone looking at him. "Uchiha Madara needs all nine Bijuu to succeed in his plan... I believe in battle, we need teams to keep the Bijuu's occupied while the majority of our forces target one of the Bijuu and kill it."

"A good plan, but to kill a Bijuu would be incredibly difficult... It's nearly impossible just to seal one, how can we kill one?" Mei asked worriedly.

"Difficult... But possible." Ê said with a frown. "A good plan indeed."

"I agree. Defiantly worth trying." Onoki said with a smirk.

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow!" I shouted after we'd returned.

"What'd you do now?" Kankurou called from the living room. I limped into the room, throwing the brush I'd been holding at the puppeteer. "What the hell!" Kankurou shouted as he ducked, the brush flying over his head.

"You said it like I hurt myself all the time!" I said, pointing at him.

"Liar!" Kankurou yelled.

"Don't call Hasu-chan a liar!" Yukio cried out as he jumped off the sofa and tackled Kankurou.

"Arg! We're under attack!" Kankurou shouted as the two of the play wrestled on the floor. I let out a laugh, thrilled to see Yukio was getting along with Kankurou. Maybe the puppeteer had finally gotten over his hatred for children.

"Rawr!" Yukio said cheerfully before he lightly bit Kankurou's hand.

"Shit! Now I'm gonna get rabies!" Kankurou yelled in a mock angry voice.

"I don't have rabies!" Yukio said with a pout. "Hasu-chan does." He then chirped, and it was my turn to pout.

"You hurt my feelings." I claimed with fake hurt.

"I'll show you hurt." Kankurou said as he jumped to his feet. "Get 'er!" He shouted before charging at me, Yukio following.

"Ack! I didn't do it!" I yelled as I ran out of the room and into the hallway. I dashed down the hallway, Kankurou and Yukio chasing me. I heard Yukio's heavy steps pause just before his weight slammed into me, knocking me to the ground. "Aiee!" I cried out dramatically as Yukio jabbed the back of my neck with his fingers.

"Now you're dead." Yukio chirped with a laugh.

"Hah!" Kankurou laughed as he shooed Yukio off me, helping me back to my feet.

"Man, I was bested by my brother and a guy who plays with dolls." I said with a pout.

"Oi! Take that back!" Kankurou growled, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Hasu-chan, why have you been so much happier lately?" Yukio asked curiously, and I blinked at him.

"Uh... Um..." I looked at Kankurou and smiled weakly at him. "By the way, Gaara and I are moving out." I said, and Kankurou blinked at me with shocked eyes.

"What...?" He asked before he grinned. "Way to go, Gaara!" He yelled, and I let out a small laugh.

"Hasu-chan, you're leaving?" Yukio asked worriedly, and I looked at him.

"Don't worry, Yukio. I'm still going to be in Suna, and not that far away... You'll stay here with Kankurou and Temari, and you'll get my room all to yourself. We'll see each other everyday." I assured him with a smile, and he nodded, seeming relieved. "I need to go talk to Gaara about having groups of shinobi patrol the area." I said as I turned around to the open window at the end of the hallway. "I'll see you guys when I get back... and Kankurou, I'll destroy your head if you say a single thing to Yukio." I said as I climbed out. I paused, ducking my head back in the window. "Not the one on your neck, either." I added with a smile.

* * *

"I was thinking we should reduce border patrols." I said as I stood in front of Gaara. He blinked at me expressionlessly.

"Why?"

"Because there is almost no reason for them anymore. According to Tsunade, Amegakure has left Akatsuki and joined us, led by some woman named Konan. Iwagakure isn't going to attack us, and neither is Yugakure now that they are just a peaceful village. There's no need for the border patrols, and we need the shinobi here... Though, I do believe that we need to create teams to patrol the area around Suna. We need to increase the watch guards, and put more shinobi on guard at the gates... Especially at night." I said seriously, and Gaara nodded.

"I agree... In fact, I was setting up teams when you came in here." He said emotionlessly, eyeing me.

"Really? Good... Has Temari headed to Konoha yet?" I asked Gaara.

"Yes. She left only a few minutes ago." Gaara said and I frowned.

"Gaara, I want to go with her to Konoha for a few days. I need to talk to Shikamaru about a few things, and help him and his parents get his home rebuilt." I said after a moment, and Gaara eyed me. I could see from his eyes he didn't want me to leave, but nodded anyways.

"All right. I'll give you nine days. Three there, and six traveling." He said, and I nodded.

"Thank you, Gaara. I'll keep in touch with you... I need to go catch up with Temari so we can go together. It'll be safer that way." I said with a soft smile, and Gaara nodded at me.

"Hasu." He said as I turned to leave. I looked at him over my shoulder. "I can tell you're bothered by something... If you can't talk to me about it, I hope you talk to someone in Konoha." He said simply without emotion before he bowed his head, writing on the paper in front of him. I smiled lightly at him before leaving the room.

* * *

"You and Gaara are moving in together?" Temari asked with surprise as we sat down in a Konoha tea shop, three days later. We'd made up after our argument, and were calmly enjoying our tea.

"Yeah." I said, surprised when I felt myself blush lightly.

"Damn, girl." Temari said with a smile, sipping her tea. "You usually move out when you want more privacy... Have you guys done the nasty?" Temari joked, and I blushed further, trying to hide it by drinking my tea. Her eyes widened with understanding and shock. "You have!" She shouted.

"Shh!" I shushed her as I set the tea down. "Don't shout it out to the world!" I said, but Temari just leaned forward.

"Did you guys really have sex?" She asked with interest, and I blushed at her.

"Yes, we did." I said with a scowl.

"How many times?" She teased, and I decided to get back at her.

"In one night, or all together?" I said with a smirk, and Temari looked at me with a scowl. "What? You asked!" I defended myself quickly.

"I can't believe you guys are actually moving in together... and sleeping together... How long has this gone on? I didn't even know you two were dating!" Temari exclaimed, and I shushed her again.

"Temari, we've been going out for a while now... We've only been... sharing a bed... since we got back from the Kage meeting. The first one." I said with a blush, sipping the tea.

"I can't believe this. You're... Ew. We do not need to speak about this. I don't need to know what my baby brother is doing." Temari said, suddenly sounding disgusted.

"Fine with me... But he's good." I said with a smirk.

"Okay! That's gross." Temari said, setting her cup of tea down.

"What? That wasn't even the gross part." I teased, and Temari looked at me, disgusted.

"This is me walking away." Temari said as she stood up.

"Go let the Hokage know you're here to stay!" I called after her as she left. When she was out of the tea shop, I laughed at how easily it was to scare her away. "I should use that tactic more often." I said with a laugh.

"Do I want to know?" I looked over my shoulder to see Shikamaru there.

"Oh, hey Shikamaru... Probably not. Care to join me?" I asked with a smile, pointing to the seat Temari had just occupied. He shrugged, sitting down in a slumped, lazy position.

"When did you get here, and why?" Shikamaru asked, and I frowned at him.

"Only an hour ago. I was escorting Temari here, and I'm staying here for a few days to help you guys rebuild your clans compound. I heard Yamato-sempai was doing a lot of the work, but it can't be easy for him to rebuild an entire village." I said with a sigh, and Shikamaru nodded.

"Well, help would be welcome. Mom keeps making me do all the work." Shikamaru said with a lazy sigh. "Troublesome woman."

"Aren't all women?" I teased with a smile.

"Yeah." Shikamaru sighed. "Especially you. What's up?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I blinked at him in surprise. "Something's been up with you since you were brought back by Pein."

"Am I really that obvious?" I asked in surprise, and Shikamaru nodded.

"You're less of a smart ass then usual." Shikamaru offered as an explanation.

"You wound me." I said with a pout.

"Better." Shikamaru said.

"Thanks, I tried."

"Now what's going on with you?" Shikamaru asked, narrowing his eyes as though warning me not to lie.

"Damn it..." I grumbled, setting the tea down as I sighed. "Shikamaru, what do you think the afterlife is?"

"A paradise where good people go." Shikamaru said with a shrug.

"Where do bad people go?" I asked him seriously, and he frowned at me.

"I don't know... But I like to think I'll never share the afterlife with a murderer. Why do you ask?" Shikamaru asked me, narrowing his eyes again.

"Because if the place I went to was the afterlife, I pray that I never have to die." I said with a sigh.

"Why? What did you see, Hasu?" Shikamaru asked me, looking slightly worried for me.

"...I heard..." I paused and bit my lip, shaking my head. "I can't talk about it, Shikamaru... I need to talk to Inoichi-sempai..."

"Inoichi-sensei? Why?" Shikamaru asked, confused.

"Because he's the one who searched my mind when I first came here. He already knows everything..." I said as I stood up, setting a few ryo on the table for the tea. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I'll come by soon to help you guys rebuild." I promised as I left, seeing Shikamaru nod hesitantly.

* * *

"Now what's this about?" Inoichi asked as he sat down on the sofa next to me. We were in his already rebuilt house, the only ones there. I'd dragged him away from helping others rebuild so we could talk.

"Inoichi-sempai, I want you to search my mind." I said hesitantly.

"Why?" He asked with a frown.

"Because I saw something when I was killed during Pein's attack... I can't talk to anyone else about it." I said hesitantly, and Inoichi nodded.

"All right. Don't worry, I'll only search that day." Inoichi said, and I nodded. I closed my eyes as he set his hand on my head. I relaxed my mind, feeling him starting to search it. After less then a minute, Inoichi pulled away and I opened my eyes to meet his troubled ones. "I see how that could unnerve you... But you never actually saw her."

"No, I didn't." I sighed. "But the only people other then me to hear that was you, through my mind, and Yukio." I said in a worried voice. "It had to have been her..."

"You can't know that, Hasu. Perhaps those in the afterlife could somehow be able to learn these things?" He suggested uncertainly.

"I doubt that, and so do you." I said in an irritated tone, though I was irritated at my own uncertainty then with him.

"I'm certain you are worrying for nothing, Hasu." Inoichi said without hesitation, and I sighed.

"It isn't fair, Inoichi-sempai... Why am I still suffering?" I demanded as I stood up, starting to pace.

"Because you are letting yourself suffer, Hasu. You need to speak with your friends. They won't stay that for long unless you are honest with them." Inoichi pointed out.

"I know, Inoichi-sempai... But this is a time of war. They don't need any distractions." I said with a sigh.

"You also can't function right like this. You're emotions are everywhere." Inoichi said almost scoldingly.

"I know." I repeated, running my hand through my hair.

"You hate yourself for dying. Why?" Inoichi asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You didn't see why?" I asked him, confused. He shook his head, and I sighed. "It's because I'm in love, Inoichi-sempai. In fact, I'm moving in with the man I love when I return to Sunagakure."

"Who?" Inoichi asked, looking only half-surprised.

"...Gaara." I answered after a moment. Inoichi blinked at me, startled by my answer.

"The Kazekage?" He asked, and I nodded. "I didn't see that... I wonder why." He said, sounding slightly confused.

"I'm not sure..." I said honestly. "Either way... I need to go and help the Nara Clan with rebuilding." I said with a sigh, rubbing the back of my neck.

"All right. Don't hurt your leg again." Inoichi said seriously, and I nodded at him.

"I'll try not to." I said with a smile. "Bye, Inoichi-sempai."


	16. Chapter 15

**Here's chapter 15. Something happens to Hasu in this chapter, and it's pretty upsetting to her despite how she acts. Just keep an eye on that sanity, Hasu! By the way, Hasu's name means Lotus, in case you guys never caught that. Also, this chapter is the longest I've written so far, so I hope that makes up for last chapter =)**

**Disclaimer: Nopies, I still don't own. Too bad, the things I'd do with all that money I'd get if I did... -dreamy sigh-**

_

* * *

_

"Smiles await you when you rise.  
Sleep,

_pretty baby,_

_Do not cry,_

_and I will sing a lullaby._

_Care you know not,_

_Therefore sleep,_

_While over you a watch I'll keep._

_Sleep, pretty darling_

_Do not cry,_

_and I will sing a lullaby..."_

_I opened my eyes, looking down at the gravestone I was kneeling by. "You remember those words, don't you? You'd sing them to comfort Yukio when he needed it. I wonder why..." I had trailed off before sighing. "Was it to torment me, or did you do it because you thought I needed comfort? ... Or was it because something will happen to Yukio? Was it a warning to me...? A reminder? Reminding me how to comfort him?"_

I scanned the desert with a sigh. I was running through the Land of Wind, almost at Suna. I spent two days in Konoha, helping Shikamaru rebuild before I started to make my way back to Suna. I sped across the sand as quick as I could, noticing the signs of a sandstorm stirring. I let out a sigh of relief as I recognized the distant mesas that shielded Suna, knowing it would be very dangerous and likely fatal to be caught in a sandstorm I watched the rolling sand, narrowing my eyes at the danger as I dashed towards Sunagakure. The gates were in sight when I noticed something off.

Confused, I slowed to a stop, watching the churning sand. _Why does it look so strange..?_ I wondered as I stared at the sand thoughtfully. After a moment, I noticed there was a shape in the sand. A very, very large shape. My eyes widened as soon as I noticed it, realizing immediately why the sand looked so strange. Turning to the Sunagakure's entrance, I raced towards it as fast as possible, hearing the swirling sand getting closer as I ran._ Shit, shit, shit..._ I thought I ran. I looked over my shoulder to see the shape was getting slowly closer, but the sand was swirling much closer then it was.

_Shit!_ I thought as I turned back to the gate I was dashing for full speed. "Run! Abandon your posts!" I screamed on the top of my lungs as soon as I got within hearing distance. I felt the sand swirl under my feet before the Suna shinobi could even start to move, and before fear even registered, sand slammed into my back so hard I was flung through the air. I hit the ground on my side so hard the wind was knocked out of me, and I rolled a number of times before one of the shinobi grabbed me and helped me sit up. "Get everyone to safety." I wheezed out as I gasped for air that was refusing to enter my lungs.

"Get everyone to safety!" The shinobi who'd caught me shouted, repeating my orders. I heard the panicked running around me as the shinobi who'd helped me sit up disappeared. I looked up to see the shape was much, much closer, my eyes widening with fear. _Oh hell... It's going to kill me._ I thought, beads of sweat forming on my brow as I felt sand crawling around my limps, covering them and preventing me from moving them at all. _Like hell am I going without a fight._ I thought as I felt the sand starting to painfully compress my limbs. I raised my head determinedly as I started to create glass above the massive shape.

I knew that Shukaku was playing with me, or else he would have killed me already. _He's feeding on my fear... If I don't show it to him, he'll grow bored and kill me quicker._ I thought as the massive blade of glass I'd created plummeted towards Shukaku. The bijuu didn't even look up as the glass impacted with his body. Instead, the glass immediately turned to grains of sand. My eyes widened with fear once more as I felt the sand squeeze my left arm tightly. I let out a shriek of agony as the bone was crushed, my eyes darkening.

* * *

Gaara ran towards the gate, Kankurou at his side and many shinobi following them. He'd seen and recognized Shukaku's form immediately, and was with Kankurou at the time. He narrowed his eyes, slowing to a walk before reaching the gate, as he saw a group of medic nin walking into the village, a stretcher being carried between them. "Shit, it's Hasu!" Kankurou said, alarmed. Immediately, both brothers were on opposite sides of the stretcher, the medics pausing in their movements.

"What happened?" Gaara asked one of the medics as Kankurou looked over her injuries. Her left arm was covered by a blood stained cloth which was draped over it, blood dripping from under it. Hasu opened her purple eyes warily before the medic could answer. Despite her obvious tiredness, her voice was strong, though stressed with hidden pain.

"I was returning from Konoha. I told everyone to run... How bad are the others?" Hasu asked with a wince. Gaara looked to the medics for an answer.

"One fatality, many minor injuries." A medic answered.

"Where did it go, Hasu?" Kankurou asked quickly.

"Not sure." Hasu said, her voice tight with pain. "It disappeared right after doing this." Hasu said, glancing at the direction her arm was without actually seeing it herself due to the position she was laid in. Gaara glanced at her arm, being on her left side so he was against it. After a moment, Gaara grabbed the corner of the blood soaked cloth, lifting it up just enough to peek at the arm. He almost immediately dropped the cloth back to her arm, hardly holding in a pained look of his own. Hasu recognized the look in his eyes, but just smiled painfully.

"That bad, eh?" She asked with a grin. "You really know how to flatter a girl." She said with a teasing wink, and Gaara allowed a small smile even though there were shinobi surrounding them. She looked at him seriously, all playfulness gone. "I don't think it was being controlled, Gaara." She said, and Gaara nodded.

"He wouldn't have needed to been. He despised Suna... He would have attacked without being controlled." Gaara said without emotion, and Hasu fixed her sharp gaze on him.

"That isn't why I said that. He was playing with me, Gaara... He would have killed everyone if he was being controlled... He played with me, and I think you know why." Hasu said calmly, and Gaara nodded.

"I understand... Get her to the operation room before she bleeds out." Gaara said emotionlessly as he turned away from Hasu, despite wanting desperately to stay with her. He set a hand on one of the medic's shoulders before they walked past him. "Salvage what you can." He murmured to the shinobi. He glanced at Kankurou, recognizing that he wanted the same that Gaara himself did. Nodding his permission, Kankurou immediately walked alongside the medics.

"Sheesh, Hasu. Always getting beat up, aren't you? One of these days we'll teach you to kick ass instead of get ass kicked." Kankurou joked as he walked with them out of hearing range. Gaara turned towards the shinobi with an expressionless face.

"Double the Intel teams... No one is to leave the village anymore unless it's necessary. As we've all seen, they will obviously strike here, not the desert... We don't want to risk any patrols coming across him if he returns, so there will no longer be any. The only ones to leave the village will be the intelligence teams." Gaara instructed Ryûsa as the two of them walked through the crowd of shinobi. Gaara looked in the direction of the hospital with worry that didn't show on his expressionless face.

"How bad was it?" Ryûsa asked with a frown, and Gaara glanced at him with no expression.

"Send a message to Konoha reporting everything, including her injuries." Gaara said emotionlessly, and Ryûsa shot him a look.

"What do I say about her injuries?" He asked with a frown. Gaara closed his eyes, wishing desperately for his next words to not be true. Gaara opened his eyes and met Ryûsa's without emotion.

"Likely no chance of recovery."

* * *

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Shikamaru asked Tsunade, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, I'm not. Why else would I be asking your opinion?" Tsunade asked in an irritated voice, and Shikamaru opened his mouth to say something about 'troublesome women', but paused when he saw a bird flying towards them. "What is it?" Tsunade asked, turning her head to follow his gaze just as the bird dropped down and landed between them.

"It's from Suna..." Shikamaru said with a frown as Tsunade took the scroll from it's back, opening it. Shikamaru watched her face as she read it, slowly getting more and more stressed until finally she rolled it back up. "What is it?" Shikamaru asked.

"That girl is more trouble then she's worth..." Tsunade growled though her eyes were worried. "Sunagakure was attacked... by the Ichibi." She said, and Shikamaru's eyes widened a fraction.

"I thought he wasn't going to attack us one at a time..." Shikamaru said with a frown.

"Supposedly, the Ichibi wasn't under control.. It attacked willingly of it's own regard. After killing one shinobi, severely damaging and likely maiming another, and leaving twelve with minor injuries, it just up and left. No one saw it leave, it was just suddenly gone." Tsunade said with a sigh. Shikamaru frowned further, wondering who Tsunade had been talking about earlier.

"Who is more trouble when they're worth?" Shikamaru asked, though he had a pretty good idea.

"Namichi Hasu." Tsunade growled in irritation. "Shikamaru, take Temari and head to Suna immediately. You'll be staying there until I call you back."

"I can understand why Temari needs to be there, but why do I?" Shikamaru asked lazily.

"Hasu will need you around. You'll understand when you get there. Just go, Shikamaru." Tsunade ordered sharply, and Shikamaru sighed.

"This is why I hate women. They always talk in riddles and never say anything straight ou-" He was cut up by a flying sake cup. "I'm going!" He said quickly, leaving the building grounds as fast as he could to avoid the Hokage's wrath.

* * *

Kankurou waited on one of the chairs in the hospital waiting room. He'd been there for a number of hours, alone, waiting for the news of Hasu's surgery. Probably over a day. He didn't see the damage himself, but knew from his brothers actions that it was bad. He was slightly irritated that Gaara wasn't there, but he understood his brothers position. After what felt like hours, one of the medics finally left the room and walked over to him. "How is she?" Kankurou asked immediately, and the medic looked at him with a frown.

"I'm afraid I don't bring good news." The medic said, and Kankurou blinked at him. "The damage to the bone is irreparable. It was broken in so many places that we can't piece it together properly. The muscle was also torn to shreds... There's a good chance her arm will heal, but..." The medic trailed off, and Kankurou narrowed his eyes.

"But what?" He demanded with a growl, and the medic shot him an exasperated look that Kankurou was tempted to strangle off him.

"The bone and muscle will never heal properly. We set the bones pieces we could, and we repaired what we could of the muscle. It looks like she has a good chance of recovery in her hand, but she'll never have more then thirty percent the motor function she used to have. We have a specialist tending to her now while the medics heal her skin, but it's highly unlikely he will be able to do anything either." The medic said, and Kankurou looked at him blankly as he tried to process the mans words.

"But... Can't you heal the muscle? I mean, I heard that medic-nins can do that... Why can't you?" Kankurou asked hesitantly at first, his voice turning into a growl towards the end of his sentence.

"Not with damage this bad. It's extremely difficult to heal even just stabbed muscles. Her muscles were torn to shreds... There's nothing we can do." The medic said. "I'm sorry." Kankurou grabbed the man, pushing him against the wall with his forearm pressed to the medics throat. He gasped for air as Kankurou pressed his forearm harder.

"No! You will get the fuck back in that room and help her!" Kankurou shouted, throwing the man to the ground towards the room. The medic scrambled backwards as fast as he could. "Now!" Kankurou yelled, watching the man flee into the operation room. The puppeteer collapsed into his chair again, putting his elbows on his legs and covering his face with his hands. He'd liked Hasu the moment he met her, which was surprising since he hated almost everyone younger then him. Over the years, he grew to think of her as a sister. Of course, he'd never admit that to anyone.

Kankurou smacked his forehead lightly with his palms as he thought about what was happening to Hasu. He almost felt like tearing up he was so upset about it. _No._ He told himself firmly. _Kankurou does not get teary eyed. Ever. Besides... _He thought as he sat up straight, pulling himself together. _Hasu will need us. She won't take this lightly... Wait, the doc said her hand would probably recover, didn't he?_ Kankurou thought suddenly. _That's good... At least she'll still be able to be a kunoichi._

* * *

Gaara had his elbows on the desk, both hands clenched in fists as Kankurou spoke though his face was expressionless. "...How are we going to tell her...?" Kankurou asked hesitantly.

"I'll do it." Gaara said, his hands relaxing. "I'll handle it." He said. It was two days after Shukaku had attacked. Most of the first day, Hasu was in the operation room. After that, they kept her unconscious and observed her for a little while. "Go to the gate... Temari and Shikamaru will be arriving soon. They don't know any specifics. I need to get to the hospital. She'll be waking soon." Gaara said as he stood.

_In other words, he wants to be there when she wakes._ Kankurou thought as he nodded at his younger brother. "I'll go now..." Kankurou said as he turned to leave. Gaara stood up, disappearing in a swirl of sand. He reappeared in Hasu's hospital room. She was laying on the bed, her crimson hair loosely laid out around her head on the pillow. Her left arm was covered in bandages that were slightly spotted in places with blood. Gaara walked forward, lightly touching her cheek with his fingertips.

He leaned down, brushing her hair out of her face as he pressed his forehead against hers. "I can't lose you." Gaara whispered lovingly before he straightened up, expressionless as always. He sat in the chair at her bedside, waiting for her to wake as he placed his hand lightly over her right hand.

* * *

I woke to find a strange numbness in my arm. Alarmed, I snapped my eyes open, immediately looking toward my arm. "Hasu." Gaara's voice said from my right side, and I turned my head to meet his eyes.

"Gaara..." I said, blinking. I glanced at my numb arm, my eyebrows pulling together in confusion. I carefully tried to move my finger, but felt nothing as it twitched on the bed. I snapped my gaze to Gaara, my eyes wide. "I can't feel my arm." I said, trying to keep my voice calm. Gaara nodded, his eyes revealing how sad he was despite his face remaining expressionless.

"The damage was... severe... Irreparable." Gaara said, and I stared at him with wide eyes. "They set the pieces of bones as best as they could, but even after the hours of surgery, they couldn't do enough to ensure you will heal properly... The muscle damage was... Bad enough that most of it will never heal." Gaara said, his voice tense with underlying emotion as he spoke. My sight got blurry as tears filled my eyes. "It's... unlikely that your arm will ever be able to move even thirty percent again..." Gaara said, pausing as I took a shaky breath, shutting my eyes. _I... didn't think it would be this bad... Damn it, Hasu. Why do you always have to find trouble? _Tears slipped from under my lids, only to be caught by a gentle hand on my cheek.

I opened my eyes to see Gaara had sat on the side of the bed. "The good news is that your hand had the least damage. The tendons are in tact, and you should be able to regain full use of her hand again..." Gaara said softly, and I nodded, tears slipping down my cheeks. "They say the nerve damage was bad enough that you won't be able to feel anything in your arm again... but that it's possible you could regain feeling in your hand." Gaara said quietly, his voice gentler then I'd ever heard it. I could tell he was very upset about this as well, even though his face showed no emotion.

"Stop that." I said, my voice cracking slightly. Gaara looked at me with a frown.

"Stop what..?" He asked.

"You keep looking so lost and sad..." I said. "I only just got you to stop looking like that... Don't be sad, Gaara." I said, my voice breaking as a sob broke from my throat. "I'll be fine. I'll live, and I'll continue as a kunoichi." I said as I moved in the bed to get closer to him. "I won't let this bring me down, so don't let it bring you down either." I whispered as I hugged myself against him, crying against his chest. He didn't hesitate to put his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. I broke down in his arms, right then and there.

_Why do bad things always happen to me?_

* * *

That's how Shikamaru and Temari found them an hour later. Kankurou had refused to enter the room for some reason, so it was only Temari and Shikamaru who entered Hasu's hospital room. Gaara was sitting on the side of the bed with Hasu hugged to his chest, her face buried against it. Gaara looked over at them as they closed the door behind them, blinking slowly before he looked back at Hasu. "Hasu." Gaara said, and Temari and Shikamaru were both startled by how gentle his usually cold and stern voice was.

_Naruto was right. He really has changed for the better._ Shikamaru thought as he looked at Hasu worriedly. "Hasu." Gaara repeated, and the crimson haired girl shifted slightly, though her head was still buried against Gaara's chest. "Shikamaru and Temari are here..." Gaara said, and Hasu cleared her throat as she straightened up. Her eyes were somewhat bloodshot from crying, but other then that she looked relatively okay.

"I didn't realize you guys were coming." Hasu said, her voice cracking slightly from having been crying.

"We heard about the attack..." Temari said hesitantly. Shikamaru eyed Hasu for injuries, frowning when he saw her heavily bandaged arm. _'Severely damaging and likely maiming...' _He recalled Tsunade's words. Hoping she wasn't talking about Hasu's arm, Shikamaru carefully searched for the right way to ask.

"What happened to your arm?" He said after eventually picking the relatively safe option. He observed Gaara carefully touch Hasu's hand, narrowing his eyes.

"This?" Hasu asked, pointing to her left arm.

"No, the other arm." Temari said sarcastically, and Hasu flashed her a smile before looking at Shikamaru.

"Well, you see... Apparently, when you get a limb surrounded by sand, and the sand squeezes it hard enough, it'll break your bone to irreparable lengths." Hasu said in with a light grin before continuing. "And crush the nerves, and shred the muscle."

"How are they going to heal all that?" Temari asked with wide eyes as Shikamaru stared at Hasu.

"Oh, they can't." Hasu said as she looked at Gaara, meeting his eyes. "I'll never have feeling in my arm again, and I'll never be able to move up above my elbow, and will have very limited mobility in my elbow for the rest of my life. Thankfully, my hand is supposed to recover just fine, and I might even get feeling back in it someday."

"I'm sorry, Hasu..." Shikamaru said, and Hasu shook her head.

"Don't be. This is the draw backs of war. None of us know if we're going to be alive tomorrow. Just be glad that I didn't get killed... or lose my entire arm, for that matter." Hasu said before adding, "I am." with a smile.

"Yeah..." Temari agreed hesitantly. Shikamaru could see the pain in Hasu's eyes, immediately knowing she wasn't as okay with it as she said. He said nothing, however.

"Anyways, we have a problem." Hasu said seriously, and Gaara looked over at Shikamaru and Temari.

"If Shukaku attacked without being controlled, it's possible the same thing will happen to other villages. It's doubtful, though, as it seems Shukaku was forced to leave almost as soon as he attacked. I sent notices to the other villages, requesting a Kage meeting to happen here, due to the fact that I am unwilling to leave the village after that attack. I won't leave my shinobi here without a Kage when there's a Bijuu after us." Gaara explained without emotion, though his voice was barely noticeably softer then usual.

"When are they arriving?" Temari asked in a serious tone.

"Tomorrow or the day after. Likely tomorrow." Gaara said emotionlessly.

"Great! Now, everyone get the hell out of my room." Hasu said cheerfully. "Gaara, I love you and all, but you gotta shoo too. And someone tell Kankurou to get his stupid ass in here." Hasu chirped as she nudged Gaara to his feet.

"Kankurou..? All right..." Temari said after a moment, grabbing Shikamaru and practically dragging him out of the room.

"Troublesome woman..." Hasu heard him mutter before he left ear shot. Hasu looked up at Gaara and smiled.

"I'm fine. Just go get Kankurou. Drag him by his hair if you have to." Hasu said with a smile to Gaara. He nodded, walking out of the room after throwing her a glance over his shoulder.

* * *

"What the hell!" Kankurou asked as he pulled two waiting bottles of sake out from under my hospital bed. He looked at me incredulously and stunned.

"What? Don't look so shocked." I said with a grin.

"How the hell, woman! You've only been in this room for two days, and only have been awake for an hour and a half! Someone was always with you! How in the hell!" Kankurou shouted, shaking a sake bottle at me. I reached up with my good hand and snatched it from him before he could ruin it, cradling it protectively to my chest.

"Don't underestimate me, Kankurou. I am never far from sake, even though I've hardly touched the stuff since the Orochimaru incident." I said, thinking back to all those months ago. Kankurou sat cross legged at the foot of my bed, and I folded my legs so they were out of his way, my bandaged left arm draped in my lap limply.

"You're fucking crazy, Hasu." Kankurou grumbled as he took the sake bottle from me, opening it before handing it back.

"Thanks." I said with a grin as I took the bottle back. "Cheers." I said as we hit the bottles together before swiftly downing many mouthfuls. After a moment, I pulled the bottle from my mouth, Kankurou doing the same.

"I forgot how nasty sake tastes when you do that." Kankurou said in disgust, which I felt as well.

"Same... Let's not do that again." I suggested in a grossed out voice.

"Agreed." Kankurou said with a nod. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, Kankurou... For starters, battle plans. You'll be leading one of the puppeteer's platoons. I'm going to probably be more focused then I should be on Gaara's fight, so I might end up missing it if the medic area is in trouble. I need you to keep your eye on them just in case." I said, and Kankurou nodded as he took a swig, which I did as well.

"Can do." Kankurou agreed after he swallowed.

"Good. The other thing is... I saw you looking at Matsuri." I said, grinning as Kankurou looked at me with shocked eyes.

"Wh-what? I don't know what you're talking about!" He sputtered out, his eyes wide. I was certain he was blushing under the face paint.

"Oh, yes you do." I said with a smirk. "Don't worry, no one else saw... But it's obvious you like her, and she likes you too." I said with a smile.

"R-really? Bull shit." Kankurou snapped, trying to seem uninterested again.

"Yeah, well... She's a Chuunin now. She's your age, too. You have a good chance, since she likes you as well." I said with a smile.

"Tch. Whatever." Kankurou grumbled as he took another swig. I smiled weakly before swallowing more sake myself.

"I can't drink too much since I have so many medications in me." I said tiredly, and Kankurou nodded.

"Then let me take that off your hands." He said, snatching my sake bottle before I could stop him. Immediately, he put it to his lips and chugged it.

"Hey!" I protested loudly as Kankurou quickly downed the rest of the bottle. He looked at me with a disgusted expression as he pulled it from his lips. "I thought we weren't going to do that anymore."

"Shut up!" He snapped at me.


	17. Chapter 16

**Well, guys... Here it is... Chapter 16.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Just Hasu. And her miserable life :D**

* * *

I stood behind Gaara, my heavily bandaged arm held across my chest by a sling. It was the day after I woke up in the hospital, and the Kage's had arrived swiftly as expected. "We received your message on the situation. I hope the injured are recovering well?" Mei asked kindly, looking at me though she spoke to Gaara.

"All the living will recover well." Gaara said emotionlessly. _Except for me and the dead guy._ I thought bitterly, keeping my mouth shut.

"Yes... I'm sorry to hear about the incident." Tsunade said calmly.

"I believe this to be a good sign that we need to gather all of our forces together into one army in one place." The Raikage, Ê said gruffly.

"I agree. But where?" Onoki asked, narrowing his wrinkly eyes.

"I would like to suggest the Land of Earth as our battle ground." Gaara said, and just about every Kage looked at him in surprise.

"Why?" Ê asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Simple... The Land of Wind is mostly desert, making it harsh conditions to fight if you aren't accustomed to it. The Land of Water has mist and fog almost constantly, making eyesight incredibly difficult. It wouldn't be possible to assist those who need it if you can't see them." Gaara said, easily pointing out the flaws in every country. "The Land of Lighting is mostly mountains, making it dangerous territory to fight on. You'd have to watch your steps constantly to make sure you don't step off a cliff, which you can't do during a battle."

"The Land of Fire is surrounded by the other countries, making it more then possible for Madara to attack from all sides at once. The Land of Earth has the best area for battle. There's only one side of the country that isn't surrounded by massive mountains, making it extremely difficult for Madara to attack anywhere but the one side that isn't covered in peaks. Also, they would have to come from the water, which would slow them down and give us a fair warning of their approach before they could attack." Gaara finished without emotion.

"Hm... I agree." Mei said after a moment.

"As do I." Tsunade said with a nod.

"I do as well... What about you, Tsuchikage? Do you agree to risk your country?" Ê asked, looking at Onoki. He had a thoughtful expression.

"I don't like the idea of the Land of Earth becoming a battle ground, since it will probably leave it in destruction... but the Kazekage has a point. It would be the best area..." Onoki said, narrowing his wrinkly eyes. "We'll keep the battle to the northern part, near the shore line..."

"Very well." Ê agreed, looking at the other Kages.

"All of the citizens should be taken to a safety area hidden in the mountain borders to ensure their safety." Mei suggested kindly.

"Yes. We have many of those that were built during the previous wars. I'll have the daimyo issue the orders when I return." Onoki said gruffly.

"Good. I suggest we start moving immediately. Madara could attack at any time, and we need to be prepared." Tsunade said.

"I agree... What about the citizens in our villages? Do you think it necessary to hide them away as well?" Mei asked worriedly.

"I doubt it." Gaara said. "Madara wants to have us all under his control. He won't kill innocent civilians who could be his pets." Gaara said coldly, and Ê nodded.

"I agree. In one weeks time, all of our forces will be gathered in the Land of Earth. Tsuchikage, send us the coordinates you believe is the best place for battle. We'll all move out as soon as we receive them." Ê said, scanning over the Kage's to ensure they were all right with this.

"Good... Once there, we'll divide the camps by types of platoons. The melee platoons will camp closest to the expected battle area, the midrange platoons behind them, and the long distance fighter platoons behind them. Behind the long distance platoons is where we'll have the medics. We'll put them in a hidden area... Like inside a carved out mountain, for instance." Ê said, frowning.

"I'm sure one of our shinobi can manage that with an earth jutsu." Onoki said testily, and Ê nodded.

"One week. We'll meet at the given location." Ê announced.

* * *

The following two days was hellish mess. I spent most of it with Gaara, helping him organize everything. I also spent a lot of time with Yukio, who I was with now. "All right. Where next?" I asked cheerily as we walked through the market district, my ruined arm draped across my chest and held there by a loose sling. Tsunade had healed it as best as she could while here, but couldn't get much further then the other medics had. All she was able to do is heal the bone as it was set, and healed the muscle she could. That gave me about thirty-five percent mobility as opposed to the thirty percent the other's healing had.

Also, it meant I could fight if I wished to, which I did. Well, I'd prefer if there was no fight, but like hell would I have Yukio and Gaara go into battle without me. I would fight with them, and protect them. "There!" Yukio chirped, pointing to a shop with glass figurines. I smiled, leading him into it. After some time of walking around the store, Yukio picked out a dog made of white glass that had blue glass for eyes. When I asked why he picked that one, he said because it reminded him of Akashia. I immediately bought it after that. Finally, when night fell, we returned to the house, setting everything down and putting it away in Yukio's room.

"Hasu-chan?" Yukio called innocently, looking up at me. I blinked at him, once more reminded of how childish and naive he was.

"Yes?" I asked him gently.

"Why do people die?" He asked, looking down. I blinked at him again in surprise.

"...Because people are weak, Yukio." I answered in a soft voice. "Humans are frail, both physically and mentally... That's why people die. People aren't strong enough to survive some wounds... Sometimes people are hurt too badly because of their frailness that they can't recover." I said gently.

"Is that why your arm is like it is now?" Yukio asked quietly, looking up at me for a moment before looking back at the floor.

"Ah... Yes, Yukio. That is why." I said, smiling gently at him. He blinked back up at me.

"Then what happens to people because of... mental weakness?" He asks, and I frowned at him.

"That's more complicated, Yukio." I said hesitantly.

"Why?" He asked curiously, and I sighed, sitting down on the side of the bed beside him.

"You see, Yukio, the mind is much more frail then any bone in the body. Mental frailness is what makes people sad and broken... Like me." I said softly, and Yukio blinked at me.

"You're broken, Hasu-chan?" He asked me innocently, and I nodded.

"I am... You see, Yukio... Anyone can physically recover from injuries that aren't fatal. Like my arm, here." I pointed to the limp limb. "But at the same time... Having my arm like this... Even though physically I've recovered, having my arm like this hurts me on the inside." I said gently, and Yukio stared at me.

"Was... Was our mother like she was because of mental frailty?" Yukio asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Yukio... Yes, she was." I said, and Yukio stared at me fearfully.

"Please, Hasu-chan! I don't want you to be like her! You're my Aneue... I don't want to lose you." Yukio said as his eyes glistened with tears. I stared at him with wide eyes before shaking my head at him.

"Yukio, you're my precious Otouto. I would never leave you... Ever. I promise... and you'll never lose me, either." I added with a reassuring smile.

"I'm glad. You're my only family left." Yukio said as cheerfully as he could.

"Yeah, I know. And you're my only family left... Don't worry, I'll protect you. I promise." I said, kissing his forehead. "But, I need to go back... Gaara will worry otherwise. Get some sleep, we're leaving tomorrow." I said as I stood up. I didn't get far before Yukio grabbed my wrist. I looked at him in confusion.

"Please don't go. I want you to stay here." Yukio pleaded, and I met his eyes before finally nodding, suppressing a sigh.

"All right. I'll stay here." I promised as I let him pull me back towards the bed. _So many promises... How many will I be able to keep?_ I wondered as I watched Yukio climb under the sheets. _I won't lose him._ I vowed as Yukio closed his eyes, drifting quickly to sleep.

* * *

The week had come and gone. We'd all met at the coordinates given by Onoki, and the medics were placed in a very large room hidden within the closest mountain. The camps were only just finally done getting set up, and everyone was quickly getting prepared for battle. Cooking-nins were even brought so we could get decent food before the fights. I never understood the point to having shinobi that specialized in cooking until now. The Kage's were in the center of the forces, the safest place if there was a sneak attack. I would be staying in Gaara's tent, but for the moment I was with a few of my old friends: The Konoha Eleven. Minus Shikamaru, who was doing things I didn't want to know about with Temari, most likely. And minus Naruto, obviously.

"I can't believe you two got together." I said, blinking at Lee and Tenten.

"Yeah, well... It just happened." Tenten said with a grin.

"It's your romantic status that's unbelievable. Who knew you would score the Kazekage!" Ino said with a sigh of disappointment.

"I guess... It's not all fun and games, though. Except at night." I said with a sly grin, and Sakura blushed while Neji just scowled.

"I don't want to know." Neji said simply, and I shrugged.

"Well, what else are two people who don't sleep supposed to do?" I asked nonchalantly.

"You still aren't sleeping well?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"I was for a while... But not since Madara declared war. I've barely slept at all. I think I've slept three times in the last month." I said with a shrug. "I'm getting used to it, surprisingly. Still not sure if that's good or bad."

"Bad, obviously. Everyone needs plenty of sleep... and food." Chouji said, waving a chip at me.

"Hey, where are Kiba and Shino?" I asked, noticing the two of them had wandered off.

"Shino went to his clan, and Kiba went to his." Hinata explained. "I'm surprised you didn't see them leave..."

"What happened to your arm?" Neji asked, being the first one to openly ask. I'd gotten glanced at, but no one open asked.

"Neji..." Ino said with a scowl at his bluntness.

"Oh... It doesn't matter." I said, waving his question off.

"It does if I can't help..." Sakura offered and I sighed.

"Well, you can't. Tsunade already did all she could to help it." I said with an irritated scowl.

"Well, what's wrong with it?" Tenten asked, and I threw my right arm up in irritation.

"You guys suck!" I said, pointing at them accusingly. "Pestering me like this..." I grumbled before giving in. "I was one of those who were attacked by Shukaku. He crushed my arm to the point that after hours long surgery, medics healing, and after Tsunade's healing, I'll still never be able to move it properly again... Thirty-five percent mobility... But, who cares? My hand is fine, so I can still kick ass." I said with a grin, and Tenten let out a little laugh.

"Yeah, we'll have to watch out for you." She said with a wink, and I reached out and swatted at her, which she dodged.

"You better watch out. I still have one good smacking arm." I said with a laugh. _Yeah... Only one._ I thought sadly despite my playful actions.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Hasu." Neji said honestly, and I shrugged at him.

"Be sorry all you want. It isn't going to help anything…" I looked up at the sky. "It's weird, isn't it?"

"What?" Ino asked as Chouji munched on a chip.

"We're fighting a war... but the world still is as peaceful as ever." I said thoughtfully as I watched the birds fly across the sky. "None of us can say for sure that we'll be alive tomorrow."

"Stop thinking like that." Lee scolded, and I blinked at him. "We'll win the battle. We'll all live, and then we'll also be as peaceful as even." He said determinedly, and I forced a grin.

"Yeah, you're right. I just can't help but feel that something very, very bad is going to happen." I said, looking towards the distant coastline. The others followed my gaze, each looking as grim as my words.

* * *

"This is the best game ever invented. I don't care what you say." I said to Gaara as we played a game called War. I thought it was fitting.

"It's long." Gaara said simply, and I looked up at him.

"You just don't like it cause I can almost win as many games as you." I said with a small laugh, Gaara simply setting down a card at the same time as me. After a moment, we both flipped them over. Both of them were kings. I drew four cards, saying as I set them down, "One, two, three, four..." Then I flipped them one at a time to each syllable. "I.. de.. clare.. war." Gaara had done the exact motions as me, only without saying anything. My fourth card was a three while his was a seven. "Hah. See?" I asked with a grin as he took his four cards and my own four.

"Hasu." Gaara said, and I looked at him. "Stop hiding." He said in a tone more gentle then usual. I sighed, setting my cards down.

"Gaara, now isn't the time for my feelings. Don't you see? We're going into a battle that we... That we probably won't come out of. I know none of us want to admit it, but it's true. You're leading most of these people to their death, probably me included... I know, and they know as well, that there isn't any option. All of us are willing to die for the very reason this war has started. Freedom." I said calmly. "This world isn't supposed to be controlled. No one is... We'll fight and happily die to keep our freedom."

"It doesn't matter if it's fair or not, because nothing in this world is really fair. This is something we are all willing to do. Take this." I pulled out a small scroll from my thigh pouch, offering the sealed object to Gaara. He eyed it, reaching out to take it.

"What is this?" He asked emotionlessly as he eyed the object.

"Something I want you to read if you come out of this and I don't. Don't give me that look." I said as he glanced at me disapprovingly. "I very much intend to spend much time with the medics, harassing them to heal my injuries after this battle is over. You know me, I wouldn't miss a chance to disturb the peace." I said with a grin. "But, that doesn't mean I can't be prepared. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. You'll know how to open it." I stood up, Gaara doing the same, and walked over to him. I hugged him with my good arm while the other was slung across my chest, and he gently hugged me back.

"You won't die, Hasu." Gaara whispered in my ear as he held me. "I won't let you." He vowed softly, and I was shocked at how loving he was being. He usually was towards me, but almost never out loud.

"I love you, Gaara..." I said softly, and he responded by pressing his lips against mine.

_

* * *

_

A woman with crimson hair was laying on her side in the blood stained battle field. Her hair was loose, a broken strap laying a few feet away. The loose hair was plastered to her face with blood, and the woman's eyes were vacant... almost dead. Her pupils slowly inched over to the corner of her eyes, looking up at the raging battle. A large beast, Shukaku, loomed in the distance, many people fighting him. The woman breathed very slowly, staring as sand started to crawl towards her.

_She got to her feet, her movements extremely slow due to exhaustion. She stood there, not moving as the sand crawled towards her. Instead, she just looked to the sky. To the dark, night sky..._

* * *

Hasu was peacefully laying in bed with Gaara when a massive roar shook the tent. Immediately, both of them had flung the sheets off them, quickly getting dressed and rushing out of their tent without a word to each other. The sight made them both freeze. Six massive Bijuu stood in the distance, looming over the battleground. "Where's the seventh...?" Hasu asked, her eyes wide.

"I'm not sure... We need to get to the platoons." Gaara said tightly, and Hasu nodded. He leaned down and gave her a quick but passionate kiss.

"I'll meet you on the battlefield." Hasu said softly as she turned away from him, rushing towards her platoon.

"Hasu!" Temari called as she spotted her.

"Sorry I was slow." Hasu said as she reached Temari's side.

"That doesn't matter. We need to get into battle. The others are already heading out." Temari said quickly, and Hasu nodded.

"Stay at my side." Hasu hissed to Yukio as she took his hand, pulling him onto her back. "This is quicker for you. Let's go." Hasu said, Temari and Yukio nodding.

"Move out!" Temari called to the platoon, and we all began to rush towards the battlefield. "We'll go after Shukaku. Kazekage-sama is the only one who can protect our allies from his sand attacks." She said quickly, glancing at me.

"Don't even think about it, Temari. I know I'd be more useful fighting another enemy, but I'm not leaving Gaara." I said immediately.

"All right... I suggest you use regular jutsu's, then. Since your glass won't work against him, you'd just be wasting chakra." Temari said and I nodded. _I wish I could use my glass to give Gaara chakra infused sand, but Shukaku would be able to use it as well._ I narrowed my eyes as we approached the fighting Shukaku. _Here we go..._

* * *

"Ahg!" I grunted as a blast of chakra made me stumble backwards. _Chakra alone... These Bijuu's are insane._ I thought as I regained my footing.

"Are you all right?" Temari shouted to me from a few yards away.

"I'm fine! How's it looking?" I shouted back as I dodged a misaimed kunai.

"Sorry!" I heard someone yell, just giving a curt nod in response.

"The six-tails is still missing! It looks like Tsunade's been injured, but Katsuya is still standing strong against the Nibi!" Temari shouted back as she waved her fan again.

"Look out!" I heard another shinobi screech as Shukaku inhaled sharply.

"Drop!" Temari ordered loudly, and I grabbed Yukio and pressed myself against the ground, dragging him down with me.

"Ow!" He squeaked as his face impacted with the earth.

"Sorry!" I called, but my voice was drowned out by a massive blast of wind. Despite being against the ground, I was sent tumbling backwards, my arms protectively around Yukio. I rolled into another shinobi as the wind died, exhaling in relief.

"Injuries!" I shouted quickly as I stood up, helping Yukio do the same. He rubbed his face to ease the pain from the earlier impact.

"Two major, seven minor! They're headed to the medics!" A shinobi called back. I looked at the platoon, cursing under my breath.

"Come on." I took Yukio's hand, forcing him to follow me as I ran to Temari's side.

"What is it?" Temari asked quickly.

"That last attack took out nine of our shinobi. The platoon's been cut to only one third left!" I informed her over the rushing wind. I glanced worriedly towards where Gaara was. He and Baki's platoon were toe to toe with Shukaku, with Gaara doing most of the work. "We won't be able to last much longer, Temari." I said seriously, and she nodded.

"...I know." Temari said warily after a moment. I looked down at the wide-eyed Yukio. _This isn't a place for him... He's fifteen, but he's just like a child... It isn't right for him to be here. _I thought, looking back towards Gaara. The sight of him alone made my heart soar with love and hope. _I can't lose him... I wouldn't be able to live... Maybe physically, but I would die on the inside with him... Please, creator of this earth... Don't take him from it._ I pleaded in my mind.

"Tsunade's been struck!"

"Look out!" I heard someone scream in a terrified voice. I watched with wide eyes as Gaara was struck by the sand, sent flying through the air. Before I could react, Shukaku's tail slammed into the earth a few yards in front of me, crushing everyone struck. The chakra springing from his tail sent all of us flying. I hit the base of one of the mountains, feeling the rocks cut my back as I fell to the ground. I landed on my side, my mind fuzzy from hitting it so hard. I saw Yukio laying a few feet away, his chest moving with every normal seeming breath. _Yukio... No one's protecting him..._ I thought as I slowly moved my eyes towards Shukaku, who was looming many yards away.

_He'll kill him... My brother..._ I thought, my mind a heavy haze. I slowly staggered to my feet, my movement sluggish from my head wound. I stumbled over to Yukio, who seemed to have recovered as he was sitting up.

"Aneue... Look at the sky..." Yukio said with wide eyes, and I raised my head slowly to it. "It looks like blood..." Yukio said and I nodded slowly. "I have to help them... I have to...!" Yukio said, jumping to his feet.

"Wait... no...!" I called as he dashed forward, making a number of hand seals. "No!" I shrieked as I stumbled forward. My foot slipped from the dizziness, and I hit the ground, rolling in the air a bit so I landed on my back. I stared at the sky as my sight got blurred, tears streaming down the sides of my face from fear for Yukio. The sky was tainted a deep red with orange streaks.

...The sign of death.

* * *

**So I got some news for you guys. This was the last chapter. And that there was a horrible cliffhanger. Sorry about that... Anyways, I actually wrote and finished the sequel to this story while I was posting this one, but it was more for my own entertainment then anyone elses. I probably won't post it, because it isn't very good due to the fact that, like I said, I wrote it for myself and not anyone else. However, I'm going to break the sequel down into an Epilogue for you all... If I get around to it. I'm busy with school classes, cause I'm trying to get college credits over the summer, and it's already horrible after only three days. I never thought I could be worked so hard XD Cramming a whole year of stuff into two month long classes is a miserable idea, and we should all get together and beat the crap out of who ever suggested it! x3 Anyways, I'll get around to it like I said... **

**And if anyone wants the sequel for some reason, then just message me or leave a review and I'll cram all the chapters into one file and get it to you. **

**Thanks for everything, guys. I appreciate those who read the story, and 3 to those who have or will review in the past or coming future. Thanks again!**


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